Although the blockbuster action and high-stakes nature of Fast & Furious has continued to evolve over the years, so has its humor, as the franchise has become increasingly light-hearted. The series has never taken itself too seriously, with 2 Fast 2 Furious being one of its most outlandish movies, but Fast & Furious‘ most hilarious scene happened just over a decade ago, and it remains iconic. Not only did it involve an incredible bit of improvisation, but a brilliant behind-the-scenes detail makes it even better with the actors involved having a completely authentic reaction to the unexpected moment.

Unsurprisingly, Tyrese Gibson’s Roman Pearce and Ludacris’ Tej were both involved – two of Fast & Furious‘ funniest characters – but it was The Rock who provided the hilarious joke that still holds up. With the series heading into its final main movie, it’s hard to predict if Fast & Furious 11 can top the trio’s hilarious interaction since the stakes are higher than ever and the tone looks more serious. However, even if it does contain some moments of humor, the genuine reactions alongside Ludacris’ prior knowledge make Fast & Furious 6‘s barbecue scene unforgettable.

Ludacris Broke Character And Laughed For Real At The Rock’s Joke In Fast & Furious 6

The Authentic Reaction Made The Scene So Much Funnier

During Fast & Furious 6‘s climax, the characters had one of their classic barbecues, but this one contained a joke so funny that Ludacris broke character. As The Rock’s Luke Hobbs enters the scene, Roman jokingly says, “Hey Mia, you better hide that baby oil” before instantly letting Hobbs know it’s a joke. However, rather than getting defensive, Hobbs instantly replies, “You better hide that big-ᴀss forehead“, causing Tej to spit out his drink in laughter. Watching it back is still funny 12 years later, but the fact that Ludacris’ reaction was genuine adds to the humor.

Additionally, Tyrese Gibson didn’t know the joke was coming, making his character’s disappointed reaction feel even more real. Naturally, everything was done and taken in good spirits, but the actors going off script to try and make it feel as authentic as possible only helped elevate the scene. While audiences usually get a laugh out of Fast & Furious‘ over-the-top scenes and sometimes cheesy dialog, having three of the franchise’s biggest personalities improvise what was one of the saga’s most hilarious moments proves they should inject their comedic ideas more often, especially since Ludacris was pivotal to the scene’s existence.

Ludacris Knew The Rock Was Planning To Use That Joke (But Didn’t Believe He’d Actually Do It)

Despite Having Prior Knowledge, The Rock’s Joke Still Caught Ludacris Off-Guard

Alongside his real laugh making the scene funnier, Ludacris was also the one who suggested Johnson make the joke, but he never expected him to do it. In an interview with BBC Radio 1, Ludacris was asked about the scene and his reaction, where he confirmed that it was 100% real and that he even suggested Johnson use the line. Still, he didn’t expect his costar to actually go through with it, making it all the more comedic when The Rock didn’t hesitate to drop the insult, which is why both Ludacris and Gibson’s responses are so great.

Knowing Ludacris’ spit take was genuine already added to the scene, but the fact he knew about the joke, yet it still surprised him enough to break character is what makes it the franchise’s funniest scene. It’s clear that the actors all have great chemistry, and while it’ll be hard to top, it would be great if Tej, Roman, and Hobbs reunited in Fast & Furious 11 for a similar interaction that pays homage to their hilarious unscripted moment. Nonetheless, the barbecue scene will remain a historical moment for the franchise, which all happened because of Ludacris.

Fast & Furious 6’s Ending Includes Two Of The Franchise’s Accidentally Funniest Scenes

The Rock & Vin Diesel’s Face-Off Is Unintentionally Hilarious

While The Rock’s interaction with Gibson is easily Fast & Furious 6‘s funniest scene, it was almost topped just moments later. In what was supposed to be a moment of respect between the franchise’s two alpha males, Dom and Hobbs share a conversation where they outline their graтιтude towards one another despite the rocky start they got off to in Fast Five. However, rather than having a regular exchange of words, Johnson and Diesel stand at an extremely awkward angle where they refuse to look at each other, creating an unintentionally hilarious exchange that feels out of place.

The duo is actually side-by-side and looking straight ahead as if the conversation isn’t a big deal to them, but the strange way in which the scene is sH๏τ makes it easy to think they are face-to-face, creating all sorts of hilarious visuals. It does fit their characters’ personalities, but the decision to have them in such a peculiar perspective provides way more comedy than bravado, which perhaps adds to how funny the scene really is.

The movie’s director, Justin Lin, commented on the moment on Josh Horowitz’s podcast and claimed it was due to the ground being uneven, suggesting it wasn’t planned to look how it did. Still, that only makes the scene even more iconic, especially after it became a major talking point online, cementing it right up there as one of Fast & Furious‘ funniest moments.

Sources: BBC Radio 1, Josh Horowitz