AceShowbiz -

It is not easy for Vin Diesel to deal with best friend Paul Walker's death. Luckily, he got something that could help him cope with that matter. Diesel said starring in "The Last Witch Hunter", in which his character also deals with loss, helped him heal after he lost his "Fast and Furious" co-star.

"Death was a huge theme last year," Diesel told The Associated Press. "There was something therapeutic about playing this role after going through [Walker's death]." In "The Last Witch Hunter", Diesel stars as an immortal witch hunter named Kaulder, who is cursed to be immortal so that he will never be able to reunite with his loved ones in the afterlife.

"The idea that someone immortal could be so melancholy. 2014 was a tough year for me in some ways - a lot of ways," Diesel said. "Playing a character that was masking his sorrow - his loss - was very appropriate for the time, because that's what I was doing in real life with the post-'Furious 7'," Diesel connected his character in the film with his real life.

Diesel revisited Walker's vision on the lifetime of the car-racing franchise. "Paul said, 'You know [Furious] 7 could bomb and [Furious] 8 is still guaranteed.' When somebody who is like your brother makes a promise, you feel inclined to want to honor that," Diesel shared. "He took a lot of pride in this franchise and he'd be smiling down at the idea of us actually doing what we talked about, which is going to the 10th chapter."

Diesel will star in "Fast and Furious 8" and was considered to helm the project before F. Gary Gray is tapped to direct. Diesel and The Rock will reprise their respective roles as Dominic Toretto and Luke Hobbs with Jason Statham and Kurt Russell also expected to return. The "Furious 7" sequel is due to hit U.S. theaters on April 14, 2017.