Paul Walker is "Fast and Furious"....Again!

That hot, blonde, blue-eyed All-American hunkboy is back as a street-racing lawman out to re-connect with his girl and get the bad guys! Cute Paul Walker again plays Brian O'Conner, once cop, now FBI agent trying to balance his respect for hardened street racer, now fugitive Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), his love for Dom's sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) with his law enforcement duties. This time out, it's eight years later and Dom is running a gasoline theft operation in Mexico with his lady-love Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and Brian is busting heads in L.A. when something tragic happens to a mutual friend and he and Dom have to join forces to get some payback and stop a drug smuggling kingpin. Of course very hot, very fast cars, buff guys and curvy women are involved.

Since the first The Fast and the Furious film (2001), the adorable Mr. Walker has turned up in family-friendly faire (Disney's Eight Below), romantic adventures (Into the Blue with Jessica Alba), horror films (Joy Ride) and the first sequel to continue the Fast and Furious legacy, 2 Fast 2 Furious costarring Tyrese Gibson.

On a theater rooftop in Hollywood, we parked ourselves midst cars from the film to get the latest on this return to the world of streetracer kings and crime lords. So what did Paul have to say about his own need for speed, reincarnating his character, lobbying for Tyrese to be in this film (he's not) and how it feels to have some CGI replace "real" driving in the movie? Read on. Oh, and how does he feel about the Chris Brown/Rihanna situation and what happens during our interview when co-star MIchelle Rodriguez strolls by and tells us how hot Paul is......

TeenHollywood: So, were you concerned about re-visiting this character after so long a break?

Paul: Yeah. I think that everybody was. My biggest question was, 'Do people really still want to see this?' That was the big one for me. It's been 10 years now, or well, just about. We filmed (the first one) in 2000. I'll round up and call it a decade.

TeenHollywood: So then, what convinced you to come back and do another one?

Paul: Timing, truthfully. It was during the writer's strike. I wanted to work. Everyone was available to come back and make, really, the first true sequel. Universal does their marketing research and they know what there's still an interest for and what there isn't. They said, 'This is a go deal.' I thought, 'Why not? I'll come back, hang out with some friends. What else am I doing right now?' I had taken some time away, and like I said, I just wanted to get back and work and just have fun again.

TeenHollywood: Why do you personally think audiences are ready to see these characters in this franchise again?

Paul: I think it just goes back to the first one. I think the first one had the most heart. I don't know. I just think that what Dominic Toretto (Vin's character) created was a family. They were basically just a bunch of street kids that had this common interest which is cars. It was either that or gangs. These guys would've probably end up in a lot of trouble, but they all found something that they were passionate about. So this is going back to that kind of family. I think that's what the other ones were missing. I loved the second one, it was a lot of fun, but I don't think the second one had the heart that the first one had.

TeenHollywood: How psyched were you when you found out that all the original major cast was coming back for this one?

Paul: There's still a degree of hesitation. Been there and done that. A couple of years ago I would've probably been like, 'Ahh, I don't know if I want to do it.' But I'm a little older and I like to think a little wiser. I realized that everyone should be so lucky to have a franchise that spans eight years. So, I was like, 'The hell with it. I'm going to come back and make another one and I'm going to smile the whole time.'

TeenHollywood: Did you still have the old chemistry with Vin?

Paul: [laughs] Our chemistry is that we don't have any chemistry. That's the funny thing. He's East coast and I'm West coast. We respect each other as human beings and that's about all it takes. We get around (each other) and we laugh. We have two totally different approaches to this whole game.

TeenHollywood: Which are?

Paul: This is something that Vin's wanted for a long time and he's worked really hard for it. I think it's safe to say that it's his life's ambition to be a movie star. For me, it's something that I enjoy doing. It doesn't define me. There are a lot of other things that I like outside of this. Jujitsu, travel, photography, cars, surfing. There are a lot of things that I like to do.

TeenHollywood: Have you thought of turning any of those things into a living and stop acting some day?

Paul: I talk about that all the time, but the truth of the matter is I think if I could just keep a rhythm of cutting out and then getting back in, if I could find a healthy balance, which I'm still struggling to find, that'd be perfect. Come back, maybe do a movie a year. I like making small movies, to be honest. That's probably my favorite, coming in and working really hard for eight weeks. The ones that no one sees, those are the most gratifying ones. I don't know what it is.

TeenHollywood: Can you afford to just do the tiny movies?

Paul: I take care of a lot of people. I like supporting people, helping out where I can. But the money for me, I live real simply aside from my cars. I don't really have a whole lot, not a lot of flash. That's for sure. I'm in a position where I'm going, 'Hey, you know what, money does come relatively easy for me. People have to work really hard for it over there.' There's my family. My mom is getting older. I want my mom to retire even though she refuses to.

TeenHollywood: There are some hot muscle cars and imports in this movie. Is there one you wish could have come home with you?

Paul: There's some pretty cool ones. I've had almost all of them though, that's the thing, at one point or another.

TeenHollywood: So what cars are you into, more domestic muscle cars or imports?

Paul: All across the board, from the Euros to Japanese to domestics. I like them all. The latest one that I put in the garage, it's been a little while. An R35, the new Skyline. I have a 997, a Porsche GT3. That's the most recent one.

TeenHollywood: Do you think a car defines its driver?

Paul: I think it's a reflection [of its driver]. Well, maybe if you're in high school. My first car was an '86 Ford Ranger pickup. What was I doing at the time? Going to the beach, motorcycles, all of that stuff.

TeenHollywood: Isn't one of your cars in the movie briefly?

Paul: Yeah, the white one in the background. I've had that since we did the sequel, the second one. I've had that one for a while.

TeenHollywood: The ending of this film sure sets everyone up for another sequel. Are you signed up for that?

Paul: No, but there are rumors. I've heard it in the rumor mill. I've spoken with executives at Universal and they're pretty serious about it. They're developing it. They know where they want it to take place. They want to do it in Europe.

TeenHollywood: You've said that you wanted to have Tyrese come back for this one. You guys must have had a lot of fun in 2 Fast 2 Furious.

Paul: Oh, man, he's my brother. I love that guy. I had so much fun with him making the second one. He's just one of those people that's fun to be around. He's just a big kid.

(At this point Michelle Rodriguez strolls by on her way to another interview, spots Paul and shouts out "Look at that sexy Mo-Fo! Not a bad angle on that boy!" Paul flashes that perfect smile and blushes pink)

TeenHollywood: You're blushing!

Paul: Yeah... well...

TeenHollywood: Okay, what's the coolest thing about working with Michelle Rodriguez?

Paul: You just saw it. She's fun. She's just call it out however she sees it. She does not hold back. I respect that about her. There aren't enough people like that in my opinion. That girl does not beat around the bush.

TeenHollywood: She's not typical Hollywood.

Paul: No.

TeenHollywood: Okay, moving on. This film has a lot more CGI tricks than the other films. As a guy who likes to drive fast cars in reality, did that disappoint you? It looks great but there's probably more of the computer driving than you.

Paul: On the first one we did a lot [of driving]. Well, I did. Vin couldn't drive so he didn't do a lot of it. He didn't know how to drive stick.

TeenHollywood: Are you kidding?

Paul: No. He's from New York. He'd never driven a manual transmission before. They still give him an automatic. I don't know if you notice or not. The guy has two left feet.

TeenHollywood: There is an amazing sequence racing through some mine tunnels. Was any of that real?

Paul: That tunnel sequence, you would think almost all of that was CG, but with the exception of the big crashes and the cars getting completely mangled, those cars were all being driven. The tunnel was CG. (In reality), the tunnel was just drapes and then later they CG'd in the cave. The driving is practical and that's why the cars look real in those tunnel driving sequences.

TeenHollywood: So you're driving through a bunch of drapes?

Paul: [laughs] That's it. In a giant warehouse.

TeenHollywood: Ah, movie magic! Then how fun is it going into that world of make-believe?

Paul: I love doing action. I'm still just a big kid. My favorite days are the days that I get to show up on a movie like this and I get to run and jump and blast dudes around, hop over fences. That was the first week for me on this one. It was great. I got to come in and I got to know Justin [Lin the director] real well and I got to get really friendly with the crew and get real comfortable and find my zone. Then Vin popped in. Then Jordana [Brewster] popped in. I really liked the way that this one started out. It was fun. You make 'Fast & Furious' to run around and go have a good time. The second they take that away from me, which they did a lot in this one, I get real angry. All the driving stuff. In the first one the insurance policies weren't too high, but nowadays forget about it.

TeenHollywood: So you have a real need for speed in your own life?

Paul: I race all the time. I was just at the track on Wednesday. I have to drive a truck around the street. I can't drive a car. That's trouble.

TeenHollywood: Ever gotten stopped for speeding?

Paul: I did when I was younger.

TeenHollywood: You've got a heist movie coming up called Bone Deep with T.I. and Chris Brown. What do you think about the Chris/Rihanna situation?

Paul: It sucks. Everybody screws up. People do dumb stuff. I'm not saying that I don't sympathize with her. What went down went down, but he's a really good kid and he screwed up. That's it. Top of the world. He's got a lot going for him. What is he, maybe 20 now? He was 19 when we were working together. He's dealing with a lot. He's got a really sweet spirit and I know he's going to be fine. He's going to make it through this and he's going to be good. I just hope that it doesn't mess him up.

TeenHollywood: Which big summer movie are you looking forward to seeing?

Paul: The 'Terminator' could be fun [Terminator: Salvation]. Christian Bale. I love those. The first one and the second one...the second one came out in '91. I went on a trip after I'd just graduated high school and that was the first movie, I think, that cost over a $100 million to make. I went with my friends to go see it. We lost our minds. Did that just blow you away or what? That movie was unbelievable. It's hard to bring anything new out now. We've just about seen it all and then something will come along like 300 and we go, 'Wow. I haven't see that.' I loved 300.