For someone so big and brawny-looking, Vin Diesel is a softie at heart, especially when it concerns the people that he cares about.

Vanity Fair reported that in a secret midnight screening of "Furious 7," which is the latest in the "Fast & Furious" franchise, the action star gave a touching tribute to his best friend and co-star, Paul Walker, who died in a tragic car accident in November 2013, before the film wrapped up the set.

Diesel told the crowd at the SXSW midnight screening of the action-packed film, "This was a labor of love. It was in some ways the hardest movie I ever had to do because the relationships that you see on film are so real. When the tragedy happened, I lost my best friend. I lost my brother."

He continued, "Please from my heart, know that we made this movie from our hearts. And know that this is our gift to you and more importantly, it's for my brother there." He then pointed to the image with of Walker on the screen behind him.

The tragic car accident that took the life of one of the film's stars delayed the production of "Furious 7" as the entire cast was given time to mourn the actor while the rest of the production reworked the storyline to ensure that the film will make a proper send-off for the actor.

Time noted that in order to finish the scenes with Walker, his two brothers served as stand-ins in to complete the movie.

Diesel and Walker had had a very special bond as friends and co-stars on "Furious 7." Business Insider said that Diesel's fans rallied behind him as he openly grieved his loss, sharing memories and photos with the late actor, who he always refered to as his brother and best friend, Pablo. Most of his posts, he shared with his fans on his official Facebook page.

When the accident happened, Diesel said in a Facebook post that he went almost directly to Walker's mother, and the two hugged. He shared via the social media site, "I thought they needed my strength, but realized when I got there and broke down before his family, that it was I who needed theirs.

"His mother hugged me and said I am so sorry... I said sorry? You're the mother who lost a son?... She said yes, but you lost your other half..."

Watch the full video of Diesel's speech at the SXSW midnight screening, via YouTube user hyprwrgtr: