The Fast and Furious franchise has sped up the ladder of fan-favourites and most-anticipated movies in recent years. However, though the race has been swift, it hasn’t been without its share of speed bumps and potholes.
One of the major issues came up earlier this year when star-actress Michelle Rodriguez threatened to leave the franchise over its representation of female characters. The Fate of the Furious actress’ remarks have caused widespread speculation over Letty’s future, and Rodriguez recently came out and voiced her concerns in a recent chat with TMZ, saying:
My path is about female empowerment, and if I’m feeling a little stagnant in that area in what I’m doing for a living, then I’m gonna have to move on. Evolve or die, baby. I hope they show some love to the women in the franchise. I’d like to see that. I’d like to see them talk to each other for a change, you know what I mean? I can count with one hand the times I’ve talked to the female actresses in the franchise, and I think that’s kinda sad.
It’s no argument that the Fast and Furious franchise has been very male-dominated since its inception, but things have been changing of recent with the introduction of female characters like Cipher, Ramsey, and Mrs Shaw. But with little or no interaction and screen time between them, Michelle Rodriguez’s comments to TMZ isn’t far from the truth as there is serious room for improvement.
Michelle Rodriguez’s stance on the franchise’s portrayal and representation of women has invoked a variety of responses from other members of the series. Charlize Theron responded to her comments with support, and series headliner Vin Diesel joined Rodriguez on social media to voice his agreement that the Fast and Furious film should strive to do better with each passing project.
It’s clear that there are plenty more adventures left for Dom and his crew, but we will have to wait and see if Michelle Rodriguez will return as Letty when the ninth installment is released on April 19, 2019.
What do you think?