Why Did Michelle Rodriguez Almost Quit the First ‘Fast & Furious’ Film?
Ahead of the release of the seventh(!) Fast & Furious film, it’s hard to believe any of the franchise’s actors having an issue with the direction of the films.
However, the case was very different when Michelle Rodriguez joined the first film -- then simply called The Fast and the Furious -- when production was still trying to figure its winning formula.
“It was more of a Point Break idea,” Rodriguez, 36, tells The Daily Best of the film’s original concept. “They just followed the format without thinking about the reality of it.”
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But it was the development of her character, Leticia "Letty" Ortiz, which the actress had problems with. “Is it realistic for a Latin girl who’s with the alpha-est of the alpha males to cheat on him with the cute boy? I had to put my foot down,” she reveals. “I basically cried and said I’m going to quit and, ‘Don’t sue me, please -- I’m sorry, but I can’t do this in front of millions of people.’”
“My whole point in being an actress is that I thought I got to live a dream,” Rodriguez adds. "And I don’t dream about being a slut! Do you?!”
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The revelation is surprising considering that the role was Rodriguez’s first major part following a breakout performance in Girlfight. But it was that tough-girl attitude that helped her fight for and get what she wanted out of the blockbuster film.
“I fought for the punch, because they didn’t think a girl would ever get involved,” she says.
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While the franchise has helped bolster Rodriguez’s film career, it hasn’t come without its difficulties. Last year, the loss of co-star Paul Walker proved difficult for the actress, who recently admitted she went “pretty crazy” following his sudden death.
Watch the video below for more on that story.
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