FAST & FURIOUS 6, Michelle Rodriguez, 2013. ph: Giles Keyte/©Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection.
Michelle Rodriguezhas always prioritized female empowerment in her work, and pushedThe Fast and The Furiousmovies to do the same early on.
To celebrate theFastfranchise’s 20th anniversary, some of the cast sat down withEntertainment Weeklyto reflect on their time making the hit movies. There, it was revealed that Rodriguez, 42, asked for rewrites in the first film, 2001’sThe Fast and the Furious, because her character lacked the depth she felt she deserved.
Fellow cast memberJordana Brewsterrecalled the incident in the oral history, saying Rodriguez, who plays Letty Ortiz, refused to play the character at first.
“When Michelle read her role, she was like, ‘No, I’m not playing that.’ And then she changed it completely. It went from a trophy girlfriend to this really layered character,” Brewster said.
Rodriguez wanted the writers to edit the original script in order to empower her character, who she believed didn’t sound realistic.
She continued, “In order to keep it real, I had to school them: ‘I know you guys like Hollywood and all that, but if you want it to be realistic, this is how it really works, and I’m not going to be a slut in front of millions of people, so you’re going to lose me if you don’t change this.’ And they figured it out.”
The actress has been vocal about the lack of female representation in the past. In June 2017, when announcing the release ofF8on digital platforms, the actresscriticized the franchiseand threatened to quit.
In May 2019, Rodriguezrevealed she would be reprising her rolein the upcoming 9thFast and Furiousmovie because Universal Pictures hired a female writer to co-pen the screenplay.
“Donna [Langley, Chairman of Universal Pictures] came on board, the woman came on board at the studio, and agreed to have that female voice on board so the guys aren’t basically interpreting that female voice on paper. ‘Cause it’s annoying, I rewrite all my stuff! I’m tired of being a writer and an actress, you know? It’s kind go cool that I had that freedom, but it’s frivolous,” Rodriguez said.
F9is set to release June 25, 2021.
source: people.com
