The Fast and the Furious has been around since the first film debuted in 2001 and, like the energizer bunny, it just keeps going and going and going. The franchise is now on its eighth installment and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Furious 7 was number six on the list of highest-grossing movies and The Fate and the Furious set the record for the best worldwide debut in movie history—The film made $532.5 million globally on Easter weekend. Everyone loves these movies!
But one cast member who hasn’t been too happy with the films lately? Michelle Rodriguez.
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Rodriguez has played Letty Ortiz for six of the films, but is also not afraid of being vocal about the film’s pitfalls—especially when it comes to the female characters.
In an interview with EW in May, Rodriguez said this of the female interaction in the films:
“I’ve been making movies with Jordana, who plays the sister of Dom Toretto, for 16 years and I can count on one hand how many lines I’ve had to her. I think that’s pathetic and it’s lack of creativity. Guys don’t know what girls talk about. They think that girls just sit around talking about guys and it’s a sad truth of men being the dominant writers in Hollywood.”
There is nothing wrong with being disappointed in Hollywood’s portrayal of women. But recently Rodriguez posted this photo on Instagram suggesting that, if some changes aren’t made, she’ll walk.
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The caption reads, “F8 is out digitally today, I hope they decide to show some love to the women of the franchise on the next one. Or I just might have to say goodbye to a loved franchise. It’s been a good ride & Im grateful for the opportunity the fans & studio have provided over the years… One Love ??❤️???✨???”
This isn’t the first time that Rodriguez has threatened to leave the franchise. In an interview with The Daily Beast she spoke about the first time the script was at odds with her morals. In the first film, there was actually supposed to be a love triangle between Letty, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), and Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker).
“They just followed the format without thinking about the reality of it. 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.”
So she did. Rodriguez said, “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,’”