‘Paul Walker should be a part of this. He should be here today,’ says Furious 7 co-star Jordana Brewster

FAST and Furious beauty Jordana Brewster said she still expects to see Paul Walker around every corner and spills the beans on her other co-stars.

WHEN you are acting alongside the likes of Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson, it’s hard not to be — quite literally — overshadowed.

But diminutive Fast and Furious star Jordana Brewster, who has been with the high-octane franchise since its 2001 inception, reckons she and co-star Michelle Rodriguez manage to hold their own.

“(Australian director) James Wan wanted to make sure the female characters were very strong and I think that’s on purpose because we do have to offset all the males who outnumber us.

“I think Michelle and I do a pretty good job.”

Old friends ... the original cast of The Fast and the Furious (2001).

On screen, the phenomenally successful muscle car franchise, which has taken a staggering $US2.3 billion at the box office, pumps adrenaline and aggression in pretty much equal measure.

But behind the scenes, says Brewster, things are a little different.

“These guys, they seem very rough and tumble, but really they are softies. They are all very sweet and very loving. Especially Vin, who has been like my big brother for years now.”

Having said that, Brewster admits that she has yet to persuade any of her co-stars to join her in her daily mediation routine.

“If anyone does though I bet it would be Dwayne.”

Larger than life ... Dwayne Johnson in Furious 7.

The title for the street-racing gang’s seventh outing hasn’t been distilled to plain Furious without good reason.

As flagged at the end of Fast and Furious 6, the bad guy role is more than capably filled in the new film by British hard man Jason Statham, one of the few actors capable of matching Diesel and Johnson’s larger-than-life physical presence on screen.

Underpinning the film’s spectacular, ante-upping stunt routines — which include a jaw-dropping sequence in which the leading characters parachute their cars out of a plane — is a potent thread of violence and retribution.

“Jason is seeking vengeance for his brother and we are protecting our own family. Their (motivations) are very deep-rooted so I understand the title,’’ says Brewster.

At one point during Furious 7, Dominic Toretto (Diesel) tells Deckard Shaw (Statham): “I don’t have friends — I have family.”

Reunited ... Paul Walker (left), Jordana Brewster and Vin Diesel in Fast 5.

And Brewster says the cast, many of whom go back to the original 2001 film — The Fast and the Furious — feel similarly.

“We have such a short-hand. We know each other so well. It’s so easy to work together. It definitely feels like we are family for better or worse — and with all that that entails.”

In Furious 7, Brewster’s character is expecting her second child with onscreen partner Brian O’Conner (the late Paul Walker.)

Off screen, the actors’ lives have changed in a similar direction. Diesel has just announced the birth of his third child, a girl, who he has named Pauline, in honour of Walker. Brewster’s son, Julian, was born on September 21, 2013, via surrogate.

“What’s great about this franchise is that it’s evolved so much in the last 15 years, which is a crazy thing to say, and most of us are parents now. We bring our kids to set which is very funny.”

Quite a team ... Brewster with Paul Walker in Fast Five.

Brewster says Walker was sorely missed at Furious 7’s recent premiere.

“It’s so hard because it’s yet another reminder that somebody who shouldn’t be gone is. With every step that has to do with the film, it’s a reminder that he’s not here.

“The bottom line is he should have been a part of this, he should be here today.”

While Brewster and Walker’s characters are geographically separated for most of Furious 7, the actress says she felt his absence keenly when production resumed four months after his tragic death in a single-car accident on November 30, 2013.

“I was so used to seeing him in the next trailer. Every time I turned a corner I expected to see him.”

Action replay ... Tyrese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez, Paul Walker and Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges in Furious 7.

Brewster says newbie director James Wan, best known for horror films such as Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring, made a remarkably confident big-budget action debut.

“There is so much at stake with these high-octane movies — millions of dollars are on the line. And yet he just never showed any cracks under the pressure which I think really puts the actors at ease. I really admired him for that.

“He was a great leader under hard circumstances. And he was very supportive at the time we most needed it.”

With the death of Walker, who was an integral part of the franchise, a planned eighth film is still under consideration. But Brewster says she’d be up for another one should the opportunity arise.

Separated ... Brewster cuts a solitary figure in Furious 7.

“I love our fans. I love being a part of this family. We have gone through so much together. And I am always surprised by how the franchise keeps evolving.”

Next up, however, the 34-year-old actress will be seen opposite Patrick Wilson and Katherine Heigl in the upcoming black comedy Home Sweet Hell, which she describes as a welcome change of pace.

“I have often gotten the good girl or the girl-next-door type of roles but this one is a little harlot bitch. It was really fun to just let loose.”

# Furious 7 opens on Thursday.

Originally published as ‘Paul Walker should be a part of this. He should be here today,’ says Furious 7 co-star Jordana Brewster