Here’s a thing that’s happening on the Internet today: one of the most integral stars of one of the world’s biggest film franchises is threatening to quit if the franchise doesn’t beef up its female roles.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BV2TSLpBYfR/
Here’s what Michelle Rodriguez wrote on her Instagram:
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
One imagines that Universal would like to avoid an online conversation surrounding the “Fast and Furious” franchise’s representation of women, given that Rodriguez does have a point here (more on that in a bit), not to mention the blow the franchise would suffer should Rodriguez choose to leave.
READ MORE: Ranking The ‘Fast And Furious’ Franchise Films From Best To Worst
While Rodriguez’s Letty has been central to the ‘Fast’ films since their inception, it’s inarguable that her role, and that of the series’ other women, has never been front-and-center so much as secondary and sometimes even tertiary to Vin Diesel or Dwayne Johnson or even, in recent films, Jason Statham. The most recent franchise installment, “The Fate of the Furious,” introduced two new female characters, played by Charlize Theron and Helen Mirren; Mirren had barely any screen time and Theron portrayed one of the series’ least compelling villains to date. We’ll likely see more of them in future installments, and perhaps their prominence will assuage Rodriguez’s concerns.
Regardless, it’s great to see Rodriguez use her influence to either enhance the series’ female representation or to simply leave the series entirely. This seems like a genuinely healthy way for stars to approach any social or moral concerns they may have with a project — to simply leave if the studio refuses to course-correct. If keeping Rodriguez is truly important to Universal, they’ll surely keep her ultimatum-of-sorts in mind going forward. [via Vulture]