Vin Diesel has finally responded to suggestions of a feud between him and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. Reports of tension between the two superstars became public in the final weeks of filming for The Fate Of The Furious when The Rock slammed his male co-stars on social media and called them "candy asses".

Talking about his relationship with Johnson, Diesel told USA Today that things were blown out of proportion. The 49-year-old actor said, "I don't think the world really realizes how close we are, in a weird way. I think some things may be blown out of proportion. I don't think that was his intention. I know he appreciates how much I work [for] this franchise. In my house, he's Uncle Dwayne."

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While the Guardians Of The Galaxy actor admitted there was creative tension on the set, he noted that he takes the main blow at times as a producer. Diesel said, "I protect the franchise. I protect everybody, including Dwayne. I protected Dwayne more than he'll ever know. And it doesn't matter. He doesn't have to know. But he appreciates it. Dwayne has only got one Vin in his life. Dwayne Johnson only has one big brother in this film world and that's me."

Despite the reported tension in the past, Diesel, popular for playing Dominic Toretto in the Fast and Furious franchise, admitted that he is rooting for his co-star Johnson. "I'm always rooting for Dwayne. I'm the first multicultural mega star in Hollywood. They didn't exist. To see another multicultural star come up is something I am very proud of."

Back in August 2016, The Baywatch actor wrote on Instagram, "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. 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."

The Fate Of The Furious, which also stars Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham, and Charlize Theron, rides into theatres on 14 April.

Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Vin Diesel are co-stars in hit Fast and Furious franchise ANGELA WEISS/Getty