Hollywood actor Vin Diesel recently expressed his admiration for Indian actress Deepika Padukone, who starred with him in the 2017 action-thriller movie ‘XXX: Return of Xander Cage.’ The film marked the latter’s Hollywood debut.

“Spirit lead me… @deepikapadukone was one of my favorite people to work with. She brought me to India and I loved it… looking forward to my return. All love, always,” Diesel wrote in the caption of an Instagram post dedicated to Padukone that he shared with his 95.9 million followers.

Padukone reshared Diesel’s post on her Instagram story, along with multiple hearts. The A-listers have been friends since they worked together in the film. Diesel flew down to India in 2017 to join Padukone for their movie’s promotional activities. Back then he had called her “an angel with a beautiful soul.”

“I was waiting for the opportunity to come here. And she is the queen and angel who is such a blessing in my life. She has such a beautiful soul. To be a part of the magic that is made on-screen is a blessing of my life,” Diesel told Indian reporters. During a press conference for the movie's promotion, he had spoken about Padukone’s portrayal of Mastani in ‘Bajirao Mastani’. “There is no one like Deepika. Though her origin is Indian, she is the queen of the whole world. I saw her in 'Bajirao Mastani' and she was mind blowing.”

On the work front, Diesel's upcoming projects include 'Fast X Part 2' which is scheduled for a 2025 release. Padukone will be seen in a cameo in the Shahrukh Khan starrer 'Jawan' this year.