Amidst the scorching European heatwave, Vin Diesel and Dame Helen Mirren were spotted soaking up the golden sunshine while filming scenes for the latest Fast & Furious installment atop Castel Sant’ Angelo in Rome.

Actor Vin, 55, was seen in character as Dominic Toretto, wearing a khaki sleeveless denim shirt as he stood alongside Dame Helen.

The actress, 76, who plays criminal mastermind Magdalene ‘Queenie’ Shaw, was seen wearing a red animal print dress with structured detail at the front, with the star tenderly touching Vin’s face as the pair played out one scene.

The pair could be seen in conversation on top of the towering cylindrical building in the Italian capital city with filming equipment nearby.

Dame Helen previously took on the part of Queenie in 2017 after she ‘begged’ main man Vin for a role in Fast & Furious 8 as she was such a lover of the films.

She made her debut in The Fate Of The Furious that year as the mother of Deckard (Jason Statham), Owen (Luke Evans), and Hattie Shaw (Vanessa Kirby).

The screen star later appeared in 2019’s spin-off Hobbs And Shaw as well as Fast & Furious 9.

She previously told The Hollywood Reporter: ‘I didn’t ask, I begged! I think I was at some function, and he was there, and I got introduced to him. And I was shameless: “Oh God, I’d just love to be in one of your movies! Please let me be in it.”

‘And then Vin, with that beautiful, deep voice of his, said: “I’ll see what I can do.” And he did it for me.

‘He found this great little role for me, which was perfect. I’d just never done anything like that before – one of those big, big movies. And, in my vanity, I just loved driving and really wanted to do my own driving in a fast car.’

Throughout the Fast X shoot, VIn has been sharing updates and behind-the-scenes peeks inside the production, including making the announcement that Brie Larson would join the cast.

He’s also posted shots with franchise newcomers Jason Momoa and Alan Ritchson, as well as longtime Fast Family members Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Ludacris, Sung Kang and Nathalie Emmanuel.

Tyrese Gibson and Scott Eastwood have also been tapped to return, while franchise baddie Charlize Theron has also posted from the set where she reprises her role as the villainous Cipher.

Louis Leterrier is directing the film after Justin Lin stepped down from the role in April, little more than a week after production began.

Vin told Variety in June 2021 that the filmmaking team behind the Fast & Furious franchise aimed to explore more of the Toretto family tree in the upcoming 10th and 11th instalments.

After meeting Dom’s long-lost brother Jakob (John Cena) in F9, Vin confirmed that conversations had taken place about who Mother Toretto would be, with legendary star Rita Moreno eventually winning the role.