Advertisement

Ludacris finds drive to honour Walker

L *udacris * admits it was extremely difficult for the cast of Fast & Furious 7 to continue working on the film after the tragic death of *Paul Walker *.

The rapper and actor, real name *Christopher Bridges *, has starred in four of the hit flicks alongside Walker and the two developed a close bond, becoming like brothers on set.

The tight-knit cast was devastated when Walker died in a car accident midway through filming the franchise's latest instalment in late 2013 but continued with the project to honour his memory.

As Furious 7's April 2 release date edges closer, Ludacris told _AAA _ it was a labour of love to get the movie finished in such sad circumstances.

"It was very hard going on without Paul," the 37-year-old said by phone from the US.

"The good thing was, he was almost finished with all his parts at the time of his death. But I am very hurt that he is gone."

To finish off Walker's last scenes, producers made the difficult decision to use his two brothers *Caleb * and *Cody * as stand-ins, something Ludacris said was almost spine- chilling.

"It was surreal because there were times when we turned around and they looked so much like him," he recalled. "It was like we saw him standing there, it was a reality check. I think he is living vicariously through them."

It is the chemistry of the cast that has helped the Fast & Furious franchise become a global phenomenon, raking in billions of dollars at the box office worldwide.

And Ludacris said fans could expect more of the same this time around.

"There is still that underlying theme of family in terms of us being a team and having each other's backs," he said.

"We are always going up against new challenges and this time we have *Jason Statham *(as the villain), so there's a whole 'nother obstacle in our way. We have to stop him from taking over the world pretty much."

Even more highlights from the upcoming flick include dramatic scenes in Abu Dhabi with a $3.4 million supercar that Ludacris said were "amazing" to shoot.

As for whether audiences could expect an eighth Fast & Furious instalment in the future, the star said only time would tell.

"It just depends on what the fans dictate will happen next," Ludacris said. "I am 50/50 on it - it is very hard to fathom doing another one without Paul." JESSIE PAPAIN

'It was

very hard going on without Paul.'