Diesel went on to star in Boiler Room and Pitch Black, but it wasn't until he appeared in the action-packed street-racing flick The Fast and the Furious (a film that grossed over $40 million in its first weekend alone) that he started getting billed as the new action hero. Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Willis -- they were all getting too old. The youth of this decade needed a new action hero that they could relate to. His role as the former extreme-sports athlete turned secret government agent in XXX solidified his position (and increased his take-home salary) as the James Bond of his time.

But in spite of the success of that genre for Diesel, he said he doesn't want to get pigeonholed in any sense. He's coming out in the near future in a yet to be named romantic comedy.

"It's about an athlete who has to go to charm school to save his relationship," he explained. "It's like Any Given Sunday meets My Fair Lady."

While on the topic, I asked if he's seeing anyone now.