Shes weapons-training for the eighthFast & Furiousfilm, which is currently in production.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Have you watched the original film again since it came out in theaters?
MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ:So many times.
Credit: Bob Marshak
It really is a time capsule, that thing.
I was just 22 years old.
What was Letty like as a character, when they first brought you the script?
[Laughs] Im not so sure youre talking to the right person!
She was a character that needed a lot of work.
And, you know, I get it.
Its a male-dominated industry, action films.
I kind of understood when they didnt understand what a strong independent woman would be like.
Originally, it was kind of like a mock-up ofPoint Break.
Because people in the streets dont maneuver that way.
When youre with the alpha male in the pack, you stick to that.
Youre loyal to that, because thats your survival.
So originally there was going to be a Letty-Brian romantic arc?
It was guys writing girls, and not knowing what to do.
They just think girls are there to complement men.
You have to teach them theres other purposes for women.
[laughs]
Did you keep pushing for that with Letty over the course of the other films?
Yeah, it just became easier and easier throughout the years.
They realized it wasnt from an egotistic place.
At first it was really, really hard.
Like, Who does she think she is, trying to rewrite this thing!
Im like, Well, you dont understand, Im not gonna do it if you dont!
Its easy for somebody who comes from nothing to do that.
What was it like working with Vin Diesel on the first film?
At first, we kind of bumped a little bit of heads.
I recall us trying to shoot the sexy scene.
[laughs] Im like, You should have explained this to me!
Like a real ghetto girl, it was so funny.
He was very patient with me, and really sweet.
You could tell why we have such a longstanding 15-year-bond.
He respects strong women.
Instead of, I cant deal with this girl!
Get her out of here!
Get me a new one!
He was very open.
He actually laughed about it, and was really sweet.
If youre not treating me as an equal, I will be fire.
The minute you look at me with a level of respect, I calm down.
Is it different to look back onThe Fast and the Furiousnow, after the death of Paul Walker?
Its hard, you know?
What he embodied in one persona is almost impossible to find out there.
He had a swag to him.
He wasnt just another Caucasian male.
Thats something thats very important to carry in this franchise, the credibility of the characters.
You really believe that these are the people who live on the other side of the tracks.
And its because a lot of us really did come from the other side of the tracks.
[laughs] Pauls not your goody-two-shoes.
Hes kind of like the lead singer of Sublime without the drugs.
Its all in the eyes.
When you look at Tyrese Gibson, you think Crenshaw.
When you look at Michelle Rodriguez, you think of Jersey City.
When you look at Vin Diesel, you think of New York.
And when you look at Paul, you think of Crenshaw!
The only white boy in Crenshaw!
He was a Valley boy, but more of the bad boy in the Valley.
Did you ever, in a million years, think there would be moreFast & Furiousmovies?
Come on, are you kidding me?
We thought it was the most taboo thing on the planet to do a sequel.
It was a corny thing, because all sequels sucked back then.
[laughs] This is before the tentpole.
Were going with something thats worked already.
When people used to take a chance in movies, and cast them with no-names.
So we had absolutely no clue.
Click here to read more about the 15th anniversary rerelease ofThe Fast and the Furious.
