Dwayne Johnson talks about his 'chicken s**t' Fast 8 co-stars comment

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has opened up about the harsh words he had used to describe his Fast 8 male co-workers. The Baywatch actor has taken a firm stand after he called male actors of the upcoming film in the Fast And Furious series "candy asses" and "chicken s**t".

The former WWE champion, who has been named this year's highest paid actor with more than $64.5m (£52.21m) in annual earnings, said he does not regret what he had said about his male co-stars.

Speaking to The Los Angeles Times on Saturday (19 November), the 44-year-old said, "I was very clear with what I said. I've been in the game a long time."

However, the People magazine's Sexiest Man for 2016 admitted that perhaps the studio was not happy with his decision to slam his co-stars.

"Would Universal [Pictures] have preferred that didn't happen? Sure, we talked about it. The irony is after that and as they do their tracking and all their analysis, the interest [in 'Fast 8'] shot through the roof to a whole other level," he noted.

The former WWE champion sparked controversy in August when he shared a video clip in which he praised the female actresses, but slammed the men, without naming any one in particular. Nonetheless, as speculated, following Johnson's comments TMZ reported that his rant was about Vin Diesel, whom he reportedly met in Atlanta to discuss the on-set drama.

"There's no other franchise that gets my blood boiling more than this one. An incredible hard working crew. Universal has been great partners as well. My female co-stars are always amazing and I love 'em. My male co-stars however are a different story," Johnson wrote on Instagram. "Some conduct themselves as stand up men and true professionals, while others don't."

"The ones that don't are too chicken s-t to do anything about it anyway. Candy asses. When you watch this movie next April and it seems like I'm not acting in some of these scenes and my blood is legit boiling – you're right," he added. "Bottom line is it'll play great for the movie and fits this Hobbs character that's embedded in my DNA extremely well. The producer in me is happy about this part. Final week on 'Fast 8' and I'll finish strong."