Playing A Tree Helped Vin Diesel Mourn Paul Walker's Death

Vin Diesel was so devastated by the death of his Furious 7 co-star Paul Walker, that it required playing a tree in a superhero movie to help him mourn his friend's death.After Paul Walker's death in November of 2013, production was halted on Furious 7 and Vin Diesel used his four months off to record the role of Groot in Guardians Of The Galaxy. For the half a dozen or so people in the world who haven't seen Guardians, Groot was a walking and talking tree that could only say one phrase: "I am Groot."

"That was healing for me. To play a character that could reincarnate, rejuvenate and represent life as trees do," Diesel told Variety.

Guardians director James Gunn told the magazine that Diesel "was in a very sensitive place" while he played Groot, and that the character's "simplicity," "innocence," and "creativity" helped ease his mind.

"I was inspired by my 3-year-old son at the time, who I was playing the role for," said Diesel. "I always imagined the character would have to connect to a child."

Gunn says he hopes he can bring back Groot and Diesel back for the Guardians sequel, but nothing has been confirmed.