Vin Diesel has spoken about the “dark side of fame” in a new interview that comes just over a week after he responded to social media users who were criticising him for his physical appearance.

The current star of The Last Witch Hunter, which had its European premiere on Monday night, spoke to BBC Radio 1’s Newsbeat about the invasive nature of social media and paparazzi attention, and how that it causes some celebrities to become more reclusive than they would want to be.

When he was asked about online comments and the rise of body-shaming in general, the 48 year old actor replied: “It's a lot of negative stuff. I think that it is ultimately wrong, I think people should be less judgemental and more just loving.”

Vin DieselVin Diesel at the European premiere of 'The Last Witch Hunter'

Diesel had written on Instagram “body shaming is always wrong” alongside a picture of him showing off his abdomen, a couple of days after somebody had taken a picture of him on a balcony in Miami looking “less svelte” than normal.

“You hear people talk about haters all the time, and there are people who process haters differently,” the Fast & Furious star reflected. “I feel sorry for people who have to cut other people down to feel better about themselves.”

More: Vin Diesel shows off his abs on Instagram after ‘dad bod’ jibes

Turning to the subject of magazine articles discussing weight and analysing celebrities’ appearances, he said: “They do it for profit too and that's the dark side of fame. You do that enough to people and they become withdrawn... because they don't know who is trying to exploit them or bring them down.”

Despite that recent run-in with the trolls, Diesel maintains that the internet is still an overwhelming force for good when it comes to interacting with fans. “I don't stay away from the internet. I think there's great value in getting feedback in terms of social media,” he says.

“I've been able to have a unique relationship with the audience that I believe has made the [Fast and Furious] films better because of it. Magazines and stuff like that are a bit dated now but I think, by and large, around the world people are good people.”

More: Vin Diesel confirms plans for “one last trilogy” of ‘Fast & Furious’ movies

Watch the trailer for The Last Witch Hunter here