Actress Michelle Rodriguez threatened to “say goodbye” to the Fast and Furious franchise that made her famous if it doesn’t ruin itself by injecting feminism into the mix. Rodriguez made her ultimatum on Twitter this Tuesday. “F8 [The Fate of the Furious] is out digitally today, I hope they decide to show some love to the women of the franchise on the next one,” Rodriguez wrote on Instagram. “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.”
From Breitbart:
Through the years, the billion dollar Universal Studios-produced films have prominently featured female characters — including Rodriguez, Charlize Theron and Helen Mirren in the latest installment, and now-deceased characters played by Gal Gadot and Elsa Pataky.
However, original cast member Jordana Brewster, who plays Mia Toretto and was the love interest of the late Paul Walker’s character, did not appear in The Fate of the Furious. Brewster told Fox News in April that her departure from the blockbuster franchise wasn’t a choice. ‘I didn’t say goodbye,’ she said.
Rodriguez would later decry Brewster’s absence from the franchise in an interview with Entertainment Weekly as “pathetic.” “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,” she said. Rodriguez and Vin Diesel are the two remaining original cast members. “At the end of the day, the only leverage I have as an individual is my participation,” Rodriguez said. “That’s the only leverage I ever use with anything.” The ninth film in the series will debut in 2019 — with or without Michelle Rodriguez.
