Michelle Rodriguez: biography of the “bad girl”

Childhood: San Antonio – Dominican Republic – New Jersey

Born in the summer of 1978 in a large family of Puerto Rican Rafael Rodriguez and Dominican Carmine Milady Paired, the girl was named Maite Michelle. Among the nine children born to Carmine from different men, it was Michelle who, from early childhood, was distinguished by her independent and stubborn character, not amenable to either punishment or religious education. Eight years old, she well remembered her parents’ divorce and the move of the entire, now single-parent family to her mother’s homeland.

Michelle Rodriguez in childhood and now

The grandmother, a devout adherent of Jehovah's Witnesses, took it upon herself to pacify the proud disposition of the naughty girl. But it was not there. Michelle grew up as a tomboy, was not afraid to contradict adults and got into all the street fights, defending the weaker. Her behavior became a stumbling block for teachers, schools changed one after another, the girl did not attach much importance to education, even when the family moved back to America and settled in New Jersey.

Rodriguez's classmates and neighbors were Latinos, Indians, and guys from the Middle East. Michelle learned about the differences in cultures of different peoples and got used to peaceful coexistence. Her favorite pastime at that time was watching videos at a friend’s house. The girl commented on what was happening and imagined how much better a story she could come up with herself. The penchant for describing events resulted in diary entries, short and awkward, but giving Michelle an inexplicable pleasure.

Biography[edit | edit code]

Rodriguez was born in San Antonio, Texas, to a Puerto Rican father, Rafael Rodriguez, who served in the US Army[6], and a mother, Carmen Milady Pared, a native of the Dominican Republic; her parents divorced in 1986. In total, she has 10 siblings and half-siblings. Michelle was raised in part by her deeply religious grandmother in the Jehovah's Witness faith (her mother's faith), but Michelle subsequently abandoned this faith.[7][8]

Rodriguez moved to the Dominican Republic for two years with her mother when she was 8 years old and lived in Puerto Rico until she was eleven; they then settled in Jersey City, New Jersey. Michelle left school at 17, but later returned and received her diploma. Rodriguez attended business school briefly with the goal of becoming a director and writer.[9]

Youth: New Jersey - New York

In her senior year, Rodriguez, with her characteristic determination, dropped out of another school and told her family about her desire to become a screenwriter or director. To confirm the seriousness of her intentions, the seventeen-year-old girl enrolled in courses, but over time she realized that she would achieve her cherished dream faster if she became an actress. Michelle set out to conquer New York and, with her characteristic tenacity, methodically attended various castings.

Michelle Rodriguez has been stubborn and independent since childhood.

In her free time, the girl went to great lengths, meeting guys, attending noisy parties, unleashing all her inner demons. Small cameo roles in the films “Summer of Sam” and “The Ship Will Rock” inspired the aspiring actress to audition for Karyn Kusama’s new film “Female Fight.” “Female Fight” - trailer Self-confident, assertive and stubborn, Michelle beats all the contenders for the main role of Diana at the casting, and there were over three hundred of them. In addition, the producers were attracted by the girl’s unusual appearance and her internal similarity to the main character of the sports drama. Is boxing not for women? Diana-Michelle proved that this is a myth. To truly get used to the role, Rodriguez worked with a trainer for six months. The film caused an unprecedented wave of discussions, and a previously unknown actress received well-deserved awards for best debut and breakthrough in cinema.

The beginning of a creative journey

Michelle Rodriguez set out to conquer New York in 1998, when she was 20 years old. With enviable persistence, she attended various castings and participated in crowd scenes in various projects.

A year later, her efforts were rewarded - she was invited to play supporting roles in two films, the first of which was “The Cradle Will Rock,” and the second “Summer of Sam,” which was received with great enthusiasm by moviegoers. However, Michelle's role went virtually unnoticed.

This did not serve as a disappointing factor for the aspiring actress, but became a strong incentive to further improve her skills. At the same time, she wanted to graduate from marketing school, but at that moment she learned about a new set of actors - this time for the film “Female Fights”. And the girl rushed into battle!

The director declared that it didn’t matter to him what the applicants for the roles in the film looked like, so more than three hundred and fifty people showed up for the casting. Michelle managed to be late for the audition and read the text offered to her with hesitations, but the casting assistants still paid attention to her. They were attracted by her exotic appearance, independence and ability to find a way out of difficult situations.

The selection committee decided to take Michelle Rodriguez in order to see how suitable the aspiring actress was for the job. But she was not going to miss the chance. The producer was amazed at how inexhaustible the girl’s creative potential was. Little experience of working on a film set was compensated by a huge desire to learn and work, and the ability to instantly adopt new skills.

In order to look authentic in the scenes of boxing fights, the actress trained intensively for six months, although before that Michelle had nothing to do with sports, except for her adored roller skating.

At the premiere of the film, the actress first announced her life credo. She admitted that she can’t stand pampered creatures who believe that everything should fall from the sky for them.

Michelle is sure that actors must be:

• strong;
• self-confident;
• ready for any challenge;
• constantly acquiring new knowledge;
• not afraid of difficulties and trials;
• super professional.

An actor should have a set of these qualities, regardless of whether he is a man or a woman, says Michelle Rodriguez. After the release of the film “Women's Fights”, fame came to her, because the success of the film was loud and noticeable.

Career: from “The Fast and the Furious” to “The Widow”

Having seen “Girlfight,” Vin Diesel told director Rob Cohen, who was filming “The Fast and the Furious” (2001) at the time, about his desire to see Rodriguez as a partner in the film.
The action genre fascinated Michelle for many years, but filming the very first film was what she remembered most. If Paul Walker was remembered by the viewer as the main handsome man of the film, and Vin Diesel as a stern Superman, then Michelle Rodriguez, after the release of the action film, gained the fame of a strong-willed and independent girl, whom millions of fans began to imitate. "Fast and Furious" 2001 - trailer Directors mercilessly exploited this image of the actress, so in 2002 Michelle became the brutal mercenary Rain in Poul Anderson's "Resident Evil". Together with Milla Jovovich, they created a unique duet of confrontation between good and evil. The same year, Rodriguez starred in John Stockwell's sports melodrama Blue Wave, a film about female surfers. The picture partly echoed the project “Point Break,” where Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves played, so Michelle immediately stated how she sees Eden’s image. And the writers had to agree with the actress’s logical arguments. "Blue Wave" - ​​trailer Strong, independent, attractive Rodriguez played Officer Chris with equal expressiveness in the crime thriller "SWAT: Special Forces of the City of Angels" (partners - Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Farrell), Teresa in the crime drama "Control" (partners - Ray Liotta and Willem Dafoe), Katharine in the horror film Bloodrain. The project “Lost” has a special place in the actress’s filmography, since Michelle again stipulated that her heroine Ana Lucia Cortez will die. In 2006-2008, Rodriguez played Nikki in the horror-comedy The Pack, and then she was offered only minor roles in the dramas Battle in Seattle and Night Gardens. 2009 brought the long-running Fast and the Furious franchise into the actress’s cinematic life; for many years she played Letty, the chosen one of the main character. As Michelle herself said, “Fast and Furious” is both her mark and a gift from fate. In the same year, the girl became a member of James Cameron's team working on the fantastic Avatar. Its pilot, Trudy Chacon, a rebel like Rodriguez, was killed in action. The project brought the actress not only money and renewed popularity, but also experience working with such Hollywood stars as Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang.

Michelle Rodriguez in the movie "Avatar"

In subsequent years, the actress was busy in the next series of “Fast and the Furious”, and also starred in such films as “Tropic of Blood” (Minerva Mirabal), “Machete” (Luz), “Alien Invasion” (Elena Santos). In 2012, Michelle met again with Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil. Retribution" by Paul W.S. Anderson, and then participated in Vince Offer’s unusual project “Indecent Comedy” along with Rob Schneider and Noelle Kenny. “Widows” - trailer 2020 ended with a serious multi-faceted role for Rodriguez. Linda, one of four widows (the other three are played by Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo), becomes the mastermind of the robbery. Women will find out who framed their husbands and why they died. As the actress admits, it was this role that helped her understand and accept many of her mother’s actions. The crime drama “Widows” was released at the end of the year and has already received many enthusiastic responses.

Biography

Born on July 12, 1978 in Texas into a Latino family, Michelle dreamed of becoming famous since childhood, although she did not know how she would achieve this. When she was eight years old, her parents moved first to the Dominican Republic, then to Puerto Rico; and when the daughter turned eleven, the family returned to the United States and settled in the city of Jersey, New Jersey.

Michelle Rodriguez in the TV series Lost

After high school, Rodriguez tried to break into show business, acting as an extra in the films “Bloody Summer of Sam” and “The Cradle Will Rock.”
She was thinking about going to marketing school when she saw an ad for an open audition for the film “Female Fights,” which Karyn Kusama, a former assistant of John Sayles, was going to direct. The advertisement for the search for a performer did not even specify the physical parameters of the applicant. Any girl could come to the selection... As a result, 350 people applied for the role. Rodriguez was late for the audition and read her lines with hesitation, but Kusama suggested continuing work, noticing in the girl the traits necessary for the role, for example, there was anger in her, which she tried her best to restrain. Advertising:
First, Kusama set herself the task of identifying the limits of Michelle's acting abilities, and then deciding whether to work with her. But after starting work, she was surprised to see that Michelle was inexhaustible. She had no experience, but she learned on set, so quickly that Kusama later admitted that she was even scared. In order to convincingly play a teenager who takes out negative emotions in the boxing ring, Rodriguez trained for five months with a trainer who turned her into a good boxer. At the same time, she had never before been involved not only in boxing, but also in sports in general. The only thing Michelle really loved was roller skating and devoted a lot of time to her hobby. She turned out to be naturally athletic. At the premiere of the film, Rodriguez said that she can’t stand sissies. Her position is that if actresses want to be paid like male actors, then let them do what the tough guys have to do.

Michelle Rodriguez photography

The film “Female Fights” was shown in 2000 at the Sundance Film Festival, where it received the Grand Prix. Rodriguez was later recognized as best actress at the Deauville American Film Festival, and the Las Vegas Film Critics Society named her work the best acting debut of the year. It was then that she signed a contract to participate in the film “Resident Evil.”

Due to delays associated with the slow progress of the project, before filming began, she managed to star in the action film “Fast and the Furious,” which was released almost a year before “The Resident...” and became a surprise summer hit in 2001. The Fast and the Furious has even become an almost cult film in its genre about Los Angeles youth gangs asserting their power in urban areas through frantic street car racing. Michelle played one of the heroines of the film, a member of such a gang-group of “fans of fast driving”... Before filming in this film, she did not even have a driver’s license, so in order to drive a car as dashingly as her partners did film, she had to quickly get her license and take an intensive course in extreme driving. During filming, Rodriguez began dating her co-star Vin Diesel. But, like most romances in Hollywood, this one ended as quickly as it began.

Michelle Rodriguez photography

After the success of The Fast and the Furious, Michelle was going to sign a contract to star in the sequel to this blockbuster, but she was unable to reach an agreement with the producers. But she managed to get into a project that was perhaps even more successful - the action movie “Special Forces of the City of Angels.” There, together with Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Farrell, she played Los Angeles Special Forces member Chris Sanchez, adding another “cool girl” image to her portfolio of roles.

Of course, Michelle has a couple more roles, perhaps less worth mentioning. This is a little-known TV movie "Three O'clock in the Morning" with Danny Glover and Pam Grier as her partners and a role in the youth film "Blue Wave".

Now Michelle is finishing filming the new film “Control,” an action-packed film with Ray Liotta. Still, Rodriguez is not going to confine himself to the “cool girl” role. Two years ago, she appeared on stage in the feminist play “The Vagina Monologues” and says that she intends to continue working in the theater.

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Personal life of Michelle Rodriguez

Michelle's first love was a man who, by order of command, wished that the girl, like him, would become a Muslim. Despite her feelings, Rodriguez broke up with the man who even encroached on her inner freedom. This happened on the eve of filming the first Fast and the Furious, and on the set the actress fell in love and reciprocated her feelings with her partner Vin Diesel. The romance was short-lived, the couple parted on friendly terms.

Michelle Rodriguez and Vin Diesel

Rodriguez admitted in her interviews that she often falls in love with her film partners, as was the case with Olivier Martinez, with whom she worked together on the film “SWAT.” But long-term and serious relationships are not in Michelle’s spirit; moreover, she hinted to journalists about her bisexual inclinations, which were soon confirmed by photographs where the actress very clearly demonstrates her feelings to model Cara Delevingne. But having satisfied her curiosity in a relationship with a woman, Rodriguez began dating a man again. Her chosen one this time is Zac Efron. But this relationship also came to an end.

Zac Efron and Michelle Rodriguez

When asked by journalists whether Michelle sees herself next to her husband in the family and a screaming baby in her arms, the woman, with her characteristic straightforwardness, answered that a baby is quite possible, and a man in shorts is not needed for nothing. “I need a strong man,” said the most independent and far from law-abiding actress in Hollywood.

Actress Michelle Rodriguez

Her troubles with the law began with the beating of her roommate in 2002. Then alcohol abuse and drunk driving led Rodriguez to several accidents, fines and even community service and forced treatment.

Personal life

Michelle Rodriguez's personal life is in full swing - in the gossip columns, with enviable frequency, messages appear about new novels of the Hollywood celebrity. Michelle's first boyfriend was a Muslim and demanded that the actress respect Islam and adhere to religious rules. He intended to become her official husband and make her the mother of his children. But in 2000 the couple separated.

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Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez
In 2001, Michelle Rodriguez and Vin Diesel met on the set of The Fast and the Furious. A short romance began between them. Soon the paparazzi photographed the actress in the company of Oliver Martinez, who at the time was dating Australian singer Kylie Minogue. In the pictures, Michelle passionately kisses the singer's boyfriend.

In 2005, the acting elite discussed Michelle Rodriguez's gayness, but the artist herself stated in an interview with media representatives that she was not a lesbian. The reason for this was a frank interview with American fashion model Kristanna Loken, in which she stated that she had an intimate relationship with Michelle.

Then the actress did not comment on her friend’s words, but a year later she admitted that she had experimented with partners of both sexes. Fans on Instagram immediately demanded that Michelle show a photo of her naked and in the company of her girlfriend.

Embed from Getty Images Michelle Rodriguez and Cara Delevingne

In 2008, journalists again noticed Michelle with Martinez. The couple dined at the hotel restaurant in Los Angeles where the actor was staying. The paparazzi claimed that they saw Rodriguez leaving this hotel in the morning.

In the winter of 2014, the celebrity dated British model Cara Delevingne, but they soon broke up. Then there was a relationship with Zac Efron.

Michelle Rodriguez once appeared with a wedding ring on her finger. Who donated the jewelry remained a mystery. The actress herself said that this ring reminds of the suffering to which she will never again condemn herself because of love. Despite unequivocal statements, the screen star never revealed the name of her lover.

Embed from Getty Images Michelle Rodriguez and Jordan Barrett

In 2020, it became known about the performer’s new chosen one - fashion model Jordan Barrett, who is 18 years younger than the film star. The couple did not comment on their relationship, but photographs of lovers on a seaside vacation appeared in the media. In the photo, the artist appeared in a white swimsuit.

The actress’s external characteristics (Michelle’s height is 165 cm, weight – 55 kg) allow her to participate in photo shoots for world magazines. In 2009, Michelle appeared on the pages of the January issue of Maxim magazine. Representatives of Maxim invited the film actress to film, because in 2009 the girl played in the film Avatar, which became one of James Cameron’s most successful projects.

Michelle Rodriguez now

The beginning of 2020 promises fans of the talent of this extraordinary actress a meeting with the cyborg Gelda in the fantastic melodrama written by James Cameron “Alita.
Battle angel." Once again, Michelle will play a warrior and hunter of the future, but the nuance of her role is the search for love and self-discovery as a woman. The Fast and the Furious franchise continues. The filming of the eighth part of the film, according to the actress, was accompanied by incessant laughter thanks to actors Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson, who entertained the entire crew with anecdotes and witticisms. The actress rejoices at the opportunity to continue filming, but complains that “Fast and the Furious” takes too much time and, according to her feelings, is not going to end. Forty-year-old Rodriguez also announced her determination to seriously engage in literary work and directing, although she immediately complained about her own restlessness. The actress intends to implement three projects, one of which is a drama about drug addicts. She calls the second most important a spy thriller based on a conspiracy theory. Michelle plans to invite the most significant actresses in Hollywood to this project. And the third film will be for children, but Rodriguez has not announced the storyline yet.