Fighting words! One Fast & Furious female star is, well, pretty furious with the franchise. Michelle Rodriguez, who’s played Vin Diesel’s love interest Letty Ortiz in the past six films, threatened to leave the franchise for good on Tuesday, June 28, in an Instagram post.
“F8 is out digitally today, I hope they decide to show some love to the women of the franchise on the next one,” Rodriguez shared, along with a collage of on set snaps. “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 the 38-year-old actress has advocated giving the movie’s female characters more of a voice and storyline. “I’ve been making movies with Jordana [Brewster], 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,” she told Entertainment Weekly in a May 2017 interview. “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.
The actress seemingly foreshadowed her possible departure in the same EW interview, saying: “At the end of the day, the only leverage I have as an individual is my participation. That’s the only leverage I ever use with anything. It’s like, look, this doesn’t agree with my ethics, morals. My heart doesn’t feel right doing this in front of millions of people, so I can always oblige myself and depart because money, to me, isn’t as important as my lines that you’re not allowed to cross.”
Other original stars of the record breaking franchise include Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster and the late Paul Walker, who tragically died in a car crash in November 2013.
Universal Pictures has not yet responded to Rodriguez’s comments.
