Michelle Rodriguezaims to work with rebels in this industry, and shes also a true rebel herself.
That right there is the definition of an idealCollider Ladies Nightguest.
A personal bucket list guest, in fact.
Image via Paramount Pictures
I decided I wanted to be in the movie industry because I’m fascinated by movies.
I started looking at Backstage, then I started doing background work.
[Laughs] That was my attitude, and give me an opportunity and I’ll try.
She gave me acting lessons and decided to take a chance on me.
It was Karyn Kusama, and it was her first movie at NYU.
And all the men producers were like, The girl could never win.
Image via Universal Pictures
Why would I want to make a movie about a girl winning against a guy?
Took her six years to make it, can you believe it?
And she decided to trust me, a little knucklehead from Jersey City with no education.
Image via 20th Century Fox
I was like, Alright!
I’ll take it on.
It was a challenge.
Image via Paramount
And that was it.
From there everything kind of flowed.
Next thing you know, I haven’t stopped working since.
Heres how she put it:
My line in the sand is very clear.
[Laughs] You know what I mean?
I’m like, not gonna happen.
I’m very down to earth and super collaborative.
So you got to hold your fort and be willing to die in the name of that line.
You got to literally be willing to give it all up.
Before it was like my only means of acquiring freedom was doing action movies, you know?
It was really, really hard.
I feel really happy about where we are today.
All very different storytellers, but they do have one shared quality that Rodriguez values; theyre rebels.
He’s an engineer.
He’s the kind of guy that sees things that nobody else does.
The messages that he’s trying to give are messages that are common goodness to humanity.
Theyre ethical questions about how we live life and he poses philosophical questions that nobody else is really doing.
Rodriguez even took a moment to loop in her longtimeFast and Furiousco-star,Vin Diesel.
Look at look Vin!
Vins my best friend.
Me and Vin we did to Hollywood what hip hop did to the music industry.
And we fought for it movie after movie after movie after movie, and now people get it.
And so it’s like that.
And I get on with people like that because there’s a big heart there.
If you look at all of them, they all have a big heart.
It’s like rebellious big-hearted people.
How aboutDungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieveswriters and directorsJohn Francis DaleyandJonathan Goldstein?
Would Rodriguez classify them as rebels as well?
There’s something about that script that said to me, I care.
That is second to story.
And when people think like that, they’re already rebels to me.
Eager to hear even more from Rodriguez on her journey in Hollywood thus far?
