Tony Jaa Was Vin Diesel's 'Lucky Charm' On The Set Of XXX

There is not a more fearless action star on the planet than Tony Jaa. Ever since making his bone-bruising debut in the relentlessly entertaining "Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior," Jaa's presence in a movie means you're in for full-tilt martial arts combat that's as punishing to film as it is exhilarating to watch.

Jaa earned the most valued seal of approval in the action filmmaking community when Jackie Chan called him "the most well-rounded of all action stars." Alas, Jaa was unable to realize the dream of acting alongside his hero in "Rush Hour 3" (which is for the best given the ghastly quality of the film), but the indestructible Thai star continues to press ever forward. His star has dimmed in recent years (e.g. he took supporting roles in Paul W.S. Anderson's "Monster Hunter" and the sci-fi DTV effort "Jiu Jitsu"), but when you cast Tony Jaa, you always get a performer who will give his bodily all to entertain a global audience.

Vin Diesel gets this, which is why he insisted on casting Jaa in "Furious 7" and "xXx: Return of Xander Cage." According to Jaa, Diesel viewed his Thai co-star as essential to the success of these movies.

In an interview with HeyUGuys, Jaa revealed that Diesel pleaded with him to make Hollywood movies. He convinced him to appear in "Furious 7," which, despite the death of star Paul Walker, went on to become the highest-grossing film to date in the franchise's history. Diesel was hugely appreciative of Jaa's contributions and yearned to work with him again.

As Jaa told HeyUGuys:

"[Diesel] said, 'Oh Tony, you're a lucky charm. You're a lucky charm, you know? You're lucky, you make me lucky!' Charm, yeah. I think it's like a sibling's connection. The same idea. We have the same idea. That is, how to make a movie entertaining for the audience, for the young generation. Make people excited, make people happy."

Jaa was moved enough by Diesel's effusiveness that he signed on for a role in "xXx: Return of Xander Cage" as Donnie Yen's top lackey. It's a disappointingly limp movie given the combined martial arts talents of Yen and Jaa, but the film was a hit globally and expanded Jaa's audience. Six years later, Jaa is set to bring his combat expertise to the wrapped-in-2021 "The Expendables 4," where he'll join a, relative to the previous installments, pared down crew of action stars including Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, and Megan Fox. 

Lionsgate will release the film on September 22, 2023.