You probably knew him as Brian O’Conner. The epitome of a
contemporary icon. But unlike a lot of celebrities these days, there was a guy
of substance behind the camera. And that guy was Paul Walker. With that being
said there’s probably a lot that you didn’t know about what else he was doing in
his life, away from the camera – and trust me the list goes on.
His first love was actually marine biology, something that
he majored in with his main idol being Jacques Cousteau. Paul was heavily
involved in marine life and even featured on the National Geographic channel in
“Expedition Great White” catching and tagging great white sharks on an 11 day
expedition, he had spoken before about how finally being involved with National
Geographic in 2010 was like a dream come true. Having grown up in Southern California he
was addicted to the surf life and many of his movies were so rightly correlated
to his actual interests as a person – for example the movie “Into the Blue”
where he co-starred with Jessica Alba as a marine diver. Alongside helping make
one of the biggest movie franchises to date (The Fast and Furious of course!)
Paul actually had a genuine interest in automotive performance, outside the
movie arena. This passion led him to competing in the Redline Time Attack
series as part of the racing performance team. Believe it or not he was the one
who actually customized the Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R that we all know and loved
in 2 Fast 2 Furious - Walker’s Skyline GTR was fitted out with a dual turbocharged,
2.6-liter inline-six engine and a six-speed Getrag manual transmission boasting
the best available all-wheel-drive technology. The car was literally reinvented
with each detail selected by Paul himself and to say that he took an active interest
in what he was doing is to say the least.
From re-watching and reading some past interviews with Paul,
his co-stars, friends and people who generally encountered him, its abundantly clear
that all those people had one thing in common : they couldn’t stop talking
about how much of a great person he genuinely was and how he was largely
enthusiastic about everything he did. It probably explains why so many loved
working with him in his different ventures. Even in a recent book review we did
over here at The GradStop on “A fighters Heart”
Sam Sheridan talks about his encounter on the set of one of Paul’s
movies and how much of a contrast he was to the “pretty boy” image that the rugged
stunt fighters all had in mind. It reads “As it turned out, Paul was doing
99percent of the fight [scene] because…he could do it” Paul was actually out
there, rolling around in the dirt, getting hurt in the process and DOING a lot
of the stunts himself, not just being the pretty face on the final cut. He was
also known for doing a lot of his own stunts. A brown belt in the art of
Brazilian Jiu-jitsu he often showcased these skills in many of his movies. If
you’re a fan you probably remember the time when he met long-time friend Tyrese
in 2 Fast 2 Furious and kicks his ass.
Being so often described in ways such as “down to earth
living style, the actor Paul Walker often wears his heart on his sleeve” was a
testament to the way in which even after all his successes and failures he
stayed so humble and accessible to so many.
Further from the limelight Paul was also heavily involved in
a charity which he himself had started up (in 2010) called Reach Out Worldwide
(ROWW), following the earthquake in Haiti - a mobile, quick-response first aid
organization aimed at rescuing people after major natural disasters strike and
helping them recover in the aftermath. It was an ROWW event that he was
actually on his way to when he was sadly involved in the fatal car accident.
This awesome guy was so many things, actor, philanthropist, friend,
son, father and he leaves behind his 15 year old daughter Meadow atop a list of
so many people whose lives he was a part of. The description from his twitter
account (@RealPaulWalker) is probably a better description of the man than any:
“Outdoorsman, ocean addict, adrenaline junkie... and I do some acting on the
side”. Ever since watching across the Fast and Furious back in 2001 Paul became
a major idol for me personally and I know he will continue to be a major idol
for many and although we’ll miss him we know his time was impactful albeit short
(at just 40 years old).
Understandably, never has the saying “The good die
young” been more fitting than now.
We’ll miss you, but here’s to a life that was undoubtedly
lived to its fullest.
In the words of his co-star and long-time friend Vin Diesel
- "Heaven has gained a new Angel. Rest in Peace."
By Nishil Samani
(@NishilSamani)
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