Jordana Brewster knows you've likely made the 'Fast and Furious' films into a drinking game - and she supports it

• Jordana Brewster knows the prevalence of "family" in the "Fast" saga is drinking game fodder.
• Jokes aside, family is at the heart of the "Fast" franchise's two-decade success.
• Brewster says the saga's defintion of unconventional family is relatable and keeps fans coming back.

Family is at the heart of the "Fast and the Furious" franchise.

It's become so integral to the "Fast" saga over the years that the word "family" itself is now worked into each installment a large number of times, much to the delight of the fandom.

The word itself is said only twice in the first film and zero times in the second. But by the time 2013's "Fast Six" was released, the word was in the film 11 times. "Family" is said 14 times in the latest installment, "The Fate of the Furious."

And "The Fast and the Furious" star Jordana Brewster is well aware of how much fans love the prevalence of "family" in the movies.

"Yeah, I think it is a drinking game at this point, which is fine," "The Fast and the Furious" Brewster recently joked with Insider while promoting her partnership with Clearblue.

Brewster's not wrong.

We're sure that upon the release of the ninth film in the saga, finally due in theaters on June 25 after being delayed more than a year, fans will be listening closely for every time the word "family" is mentioned once again to raise a toast to Dom and the gang.

Drinking games aside, family is no laughing matter in the "Fast" franchise.

Beneath the saga's shiny exterior of fast cars, NOS, and stunts which have grown increasingly more off-the-wall over the years, we wouldn't be discussing this franchise if it didn't evolve from a simple street-racing film to a universe built around extended family.

Universal Pictures was ready to send the "Fast Fam" to straight-to-DVD purgatory with "Tokyo Drift" and future sequels.

"'Fast' reflects all different kinds of families, right?" Brewster told Insider, speaking on the franchise's legacy, its diverse cast, and the message it sends. "It's not the conventional families that constitute a family. It's the love that binds them together and the sense of code and the sense of showing up for one another. That's a really, really important message and that's what's at the heart and core of every film."

"It's explored even further now with Jakob's introduction because he's our blood brother, but there's a little bit of trouble there," Brewster said of John Cena's new character, Jakob Toretto, in the franchise's next film, "Fast 9."

Up until now, fans have never seen or heard anything about Mia and Dominic Toretto having another sibling, something that's a bit odd for the man who preaches about family always coming first.

Brewster said she never expected to still be discussing these characters and celebrating these films decades later.

The franchise's original film, 2001's "The Fast and the Furious," turns 20 this year.

"I remember the first table read with Vin [Diesel], Paul [Walker], and Michelle [Rodriguez]," Brewster said of her memories filming the original movie.

"I remember rehearsing, I remember shooting these scenes practically where there's no CGI and it's all the cars resetting and extras bringing their cars that were all tricked out," Brewster continued. "It was so different back then. But then at the same time, it feels like yesterday."

"So, when I heard that when the ninth film comes out, it's going to be the 20th anniversary, I was like, 'What are you talking about? That's insane.' It's pretty amazing to be part of such a family," she added.

Brewster believes the reason people keep coming back to this franchise and why they keep watching is not only because of family, but because they're also cross-generational, and people see themselves represented in these movies.

"People in their 40s grew up with it," Brewster said. "People that are younger watched later iterations and then went back to see the [earlier] ones. But at the core of it is the sense of family, loyalty, and everyone sees themselves reflected in the film... We had that from the very beginning."

Brewster's sentiment is one that's been echoed by other "Fast and the Furious" stars. Diesel echoed this years ago in an Entertainment Weekly story, "This is What America Looks Like. So why don't our movies?"', saying of the franchise's appeal, "It doesn't matter what nationality you are. As a member of the audience, you realize you can be a member of that 'family.'"

By all means, grab a cold one (preferably a Corona) and give a big old salud to "familia" every time the word is dropped in the new sequel. You're supposed to be enjoying the big, fun, ridiculous films with the ones you call family.

"Fast 9" is in US theaters on June 25. You can watch the latest trailer here.