We're mourning Paul Walker today, and it sucks.
On Saturday, Walker, 40, died in a fiery car crash reportedly en route to a charity event in California--a tragic end for the action star who made his name in the Fast and Furious films. Like his character, Brian O'Conner, Walker was an adrenaline junkie who loved driving fancy sports cars at blazing speeds. The irony of his death is not lost on us.
Any celebrity's sudden death is sad, but Walker's has hit us especially hard. Because we didn't just lose a star in the prime of his career; we lost a hard-working, passionate, honest-to-God man.
We lost one of our own.
Walker was the kind of guy who lived life with an authenticity Men's Health celebrates. Sure, we put him on the cover of our magazine twice--once in 2005, and again in 2010--due in part to his ripped body and impossible good looks. But beyond spilling secrets on how to achieve a chiseled six-pack--instead of rigid gym sessions, he loved to play outside--Walker's life was a blueprint for how to make an honest living, turn every obstacle into an opportunity, and help others who are stuck in a hard place.
Just 2 weeks ago, we spoke to Walker for his Davidoff Cool Water campaign, and he shed the same smart, thoughtful insight we had come to expect from him:
Men's Health: You're known for your passion for the water. How did it develop?
Walker: I was born and raised in Southern California. My dad was a contractor and wasn't making a ton of money, so we spent every holiday at the beach, going up and down the coast. My mom enrolled us all in the Young Ranger program. What really got me was getting out into the inter-tidal zone, playing with sea anemone and sea urchin. I was like, "Wow." Jacques Cousteau really reinforced it. My parents knew how much I loved him, so every time he was on, they'd call me to the TV and we'd watch it as a family. From junior elementary through high school, I went to every sea camp there was--and I went repeatedly. It was my first passion, and I never shook it.
MH: Are your favorite adventures at land or sea?
Walker: That's actually hard to say. I've been doing some paragliding lately because I love hiking and climbing. It's really cool climbing to a beautiful vista and instead of hiking down, just gliding down. I used to chase the big waves when I was younger. I did a lot of surfing in Central America, the South Pacific, and Fiji--places with breaks over 20 feet. I always thought the acting thing was gonna end, so I wanted to get the fun in while I could. But the acting thing kept giving me opportunities to work--and finance trips. I was like, "You suckers."
MH: What was your favorite part of participating in National Geographic's Expedition Great White?
Walker: It was so humbling being up against something so massive and powerful. It really puts it in perspective. They are dinosaurs; big eating machines. They scare the hell out of me. If a great white shark doesn't intimidate you, you're crazy.
MH: What's your favorite way to relax?
Walker: I bought a ranch a few years back and I have goats, chickens, and a few varieties of fruit trees. I have a little tractor and run around with that. I just love being outside. It's just a big, blank canvas. I'll move dirt around and build stuff. I set up an archery course because I love archery.
MH: What advice would your current self give to the 20-year-old you?
Walker: Don't force it. It's gonna come in time. I used to dig so hard for answers, test the limits, and do a lot of stuff to induce an answer. But it's not a race. I'd tell my younger self to chill the f--- out and just roll with it.
When we joined Walker at a construction site in Indonesia for the 2010 cover story, the actor worked by candlelight, bulldozed roads, and harvested his own rice while forging his future home. In between working, he dove for lobster and octopus, surfed and did pull-ups from tree branches, and shared his experiences with REACT, a group of EMTs and health-care professionals that he helped found. Such varied endeavors made Walker a well-rounded man--and he never stopped striving for more.
"We're only on the earth for a short period of time," he told us. "Movies aren't enough. I want to take my success and parlay it into something bigger."
Today we mourn the man--and the "something bigger" that dies with him. And we're not alone, judging by the comments left on the Men's Health Facebook page by readers in response to his passing:
"'The world is my gym.' -- Paul Walker, Men's Health Magazine: 2005. Those 5 words changed my life." -- David Reyes
"His 2010 article was motivating as hell." -- Brian Cathey
"You definitely icon'd yourself and provided inspiration for many out there, my friend." -- Jeffery Liu
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