The Boys star Laz Alonzo cherishes his time working in the Fast & Furious franchise. However, he can’t help but take a subtle jab at the film series’ more outlandish direction after featuring in the “grounded” fourth installment.

Speaking with WIRED, Alonzo recalled his time working on 2009’s Fast & Furious, the fourth film of the titular action franchise, which saw him star alongside Vin Diesel, the late Paul Walker, Gal Gadot and Michelle Rodriguez. Alonzo insisted he was proud of working on one of the “original” Fast & Furious films while suggesting it was more rooted in reality than later sequels. “I can probably say that I was in one of the original Fast and Furious [movies] before they went into space, or cars turning into submarines. We were very grounded in the one that we did, and I’m very proud of the work that we did together,” he said.

In Fast & Furious, Alonzo portrayed Fenix Calderon, the right-hand man of the main antagonist and drug lord, Arturo Braga (John Ortiz), who Dom (Diesel) and Brian (Walker) try to take down for the apparent murder of Dom’s partner, Letty (Rodriguez). Though Fast & Furious became a financial success ($360.4 million grossed worldwide), and mirrored the first two movies with its street racing sequences and action, the Justin Lin-helmed sequel was panned by critics (28% on Rotten Tomatoes), with its story at the heart of most frustrations.

The Next Fast & Furious Movie Will Go “Back to Basics”

More recent installment of the Fast & Furious series have attracted ridicule from critics and fans alike for possessing unrealistic, superhero movie-like sequences, including cars transforming into rockets to go into space like in F9: The Fast Saga. After the mixed reception garnered by Fast X, it was announced that the franchise finale, Fast X Part 2, would go “back to basics,” shying away from gaudy budgets and embracing the grounded, street savvy roots that made Fast & Furious a must-watch film series during the early 2000s. Fast X Part 2 is due to premiere in 2026.

Alonzo has become a mainstay in The Boys, starring as Marvin T. “Mother’s” Milk, a former Marin medic who joined the titular group after Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) caused his grandfather’s death, becoming the faction’s operations planner. Season 4 of the satirical superhero series was a hit with critics (93% on Rotten Tomatoes), having recently concluded with an apocalyptic-like finale which sets up many juicy story points for Season 5.

Season 5 will be The Boys‘ swansong after creator/showrunner Eric Kripke decided to end it amid its success. Alonzo pitched turning the final season into a film, though Kripke rebuffed his idea. Season 5 production is set to begin in mid-November.

Fans can stream all Season 4 episodes of The Boys via Prime Video.