Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster Interview
Pyroradio.com: What was it like to come back to this franchise?
Michelle Rodriguez: It felt great to be called back, I’m really happy about it. And Vin said that he wouldn’t do the film without his girl!
Pyroradio.com: What were your conditions to accepting the role?
Michelle Rodriguez: I wouldn’t have come back if the whole team hadn’t too, and I was always adamant about that.
Pyroradio.com: How did the rest of the main cast feel about getting back together again to shoot this film?
Michelle Rodriguez: They were all happy to be back too. And, as I think we had all gone out and done our own thing, it was great to see how everyone had evolved.
Pyroradio.com: And Letty, your character, how has she changed?
Michelle Rodriguez: I don’t think Letty has changed much, apart from maybe knowing a bit more about cars than she used to. And she still is in that headspace of being attracted to this wonderful rebel, Dominic.
Pyroradio.com: What do you think was so special about the first movie that lead to a successful franchise and now to this re-gathering of the original cast in Fast & Furious?
Michelle Rodriguez: I believe we introduced something beautiful as a team, and then the franchise took it to other places; but it’s always great to come back to where you started. And I think the public will appreciate it, because it’s fun!
Pyroradio.com: You are mostly on screen with Vin Diesel. How do you both get along?
Michelle Rodriguez: Vin and I get along very well, and we have a lot of things in common: we are both from the East Coast, raised in an eclectic culture… And he is the reason I came to the first film.
Pyroradio.com: That movie did a lot for all your careers. But, as you know Vin best, how do you see him now?
Michelle Rodriguez: He is just smarter. To me, Vin Diesel has been like a big brother. And I have always gone to him for advice because he is so clever and intuitive –like a chess player.
Pyroradio.com: What do you think Justin Lin brings to the franchise as a director?
Michelle Rodriguez: He brings story, emotional intensity and character building –all elements of a detailed eye, which some action films can lack. We saw it in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and now in this movie, because there were more emotional elements to the story than a bunch of egos and fast cars. He is looking for the confusion behind the character and the things that make you tick. Justin is a dissector.
Pyroradio.com: What is your relationship with speed like in true life?
Michelle Rodriguez: I like to drive, and I have always loved speed and fast cars. That’s why I have too many points on my license! So, my racing days are now pretty much allocated to racetracks.
Pyroradio.com: And are you also fond of motorbikes?
Michelle Rodriguez: I have a Harley-Davidson that was given to me by the Stunt Awards a couple of years ago and that I’m learning to ride at the moment. It’s really cool! But the truth is that I am not much of a bike girl.
Pyroradio.com: What do you think women will find appealing about this film?
Michelle Rodriguez: Well, it depends on the kind of women, as there are many attractive things in the movie for both the more and less feminine type. Some will enjoy watching a man as masculine as Vin Diesel, because it’s hard to find that physicality with brains, and they yearn for that. And a lot of girls love our Paul Walker, who is amazing with his blue eyes and rebellious attitude. So, feminine women will love to see them both out there. But, the more tomboyish type of women who like to race their own cars will also enjoy seeing some girls actually getting their hands dirty!
Pyroradio.com: And the men, what will they be staring at?
Michelle Rodriguez: Jordana is hot and they are going to love staring at her! I’m more about action and not much of a sex symbol.
Pyroradio.com: Fast & Furious is going to be fun to watch. Has it been fun to shoot?
Michelle Rodriguez: Absolutely! Imagine, on my first day on set I was on top of a car that was attached to a truck. And that’s what I always thought movie making was about when I got into it: being able to do all those things that you can’t in real life.
Pyroradio.com: What will we see in this new movie that we haven’t in the three previous ones?
Michelle Rodriguez: Rebel factor! It’s an energy out there that a lot of films are targeting, but that Fast & Furious has captured this year.
Pyroradio.com: So, what kind of a ride should the public expect from Fast & Furious then?
Michelle Rodriguez: From the opening to the end, every single time you feel like it’s getting quiet just be prepared to be blown away!
Jordana Brewster
Pyroradio.com: How did you get involved in Fast & Furious?
Jordana Brewster: I was hearing rumors before anything official happened. I loved the franchise and really wanted to work in it again, and was upset for not having been in the third one. So, as soon as I found out they were doing a fourth movie I thought: “I have to be in it!”
Pyroradio.com: You had already worked with Justin Lin before.
Jordana Brewster: Yes, on Annapolis, which is another reason for wanting to be in Fast & Furious.
Pyroradio.com: How did it feel to get back together with the old crew again?
Jordana Brewster: Really good! Initially, it was a bit strange because it felt like a high school reunion. I remember the first day of hair and make-up being a bit awkward, as you didn’t know if the personalities had changed. And I admit I felt self-conscious and strange, but it was fine once the energy shifted and everyone got along again.
Pyroradio.com: Who was Mia, your character, in that first film?
Jordana Brewster: Rob Cohen described the character of Mia Toretto as being earthy, and he always told me to be tough and gritty and to watch Ana Magnani movies. So, I saw her movies and tried to obtain that grittiness and earthiness he spoke of, but I don’t think I ever truly got it. I actually believe I may have achieved it more on this film.
Pyroradio.com: What is she like now?
Jordana Brewster: She is more mature and independent. I’m proud of the fact that she got tougher, more self-sufficient and autonomous. I believe that in the original The Fast and the Furious Mia is more of the typical girl in the movie, but I guess we could say she is a real woman now, as opposed to being just a love interest. And I had fun playing with that.
Pyroradio.com: What kind of a relationship does Mia have with her brother Dominic and with Brian O’Conner, the two leading men in the movie, played by Vin Diesel and Paul Walker?
Jordana Brewster: It’s similar in the sense that they both have something to contend with when they face her. And I think they also have to make amends in some way, because they let her down. With Paul I had to play this underlined love that has to get past his betrayal, and with Vin I had to work on that brother-sister relationship, but taking into consideration, I had also kind of been the man of the house once he had left.
Pyroradio.com: How different is you character to Michelle Rodriguez’s?
Jordana Brewster: Michelle gets to do more action and is more involved with the cars than I am. From what I heard from Justin she is just so brave, and I think a lot of her personality comes out in Letty, her character, which is great. I am a little more held-back, and you can see that in the film. We are quite different.
Pyroradio.com: Do you like speed?
Jordana Brewster: I do if I’m not driving, because I am a pretty bad driver. And my car is a disaster, the driver door is dented and the back is a mess.
Pyroradio.com: So, you don’t really enjoy driving then.
Jordana Brewster: I don’t, and when I have to drive in movies or TV shows I get panicky. It’s not like in an amusement park, where someone else is controlling it. I wouldn’t be able to imagine myself in true life as part of a care-racing gang like the one in the movie.
Pyroradio.com: But do you look at cars differently now?
Jordana Brewster: I have to admit that sometimes I look at cars and think they were influenced by the movie.
Pyroradio.com: What did you like the most about the shoot?
Jordana Brewster: Working with Justin was amazing, and I liked having to think about how the character had evolved and fill in all the back-story. That was a creative aspect of the movie that I really enjoyed.
Pyroradio.com: What is Justin Lin like as a director?
Jordana Brewster: He is very soft-spoken and humble, and he really takes his time to discuss your character and what’s going on in the scene.
Pyroradio.com: Why was that first film so special?
Jordana Brewster: To be honest, I didn’t have much of an idea of what I was doing, though the product was amazing and it changed everyone’s life.
Pyroradio.com: What’s new about the plot?
Jordana Brewster: Well, in this movie the guys are fighting a common enemy and there is something very important that brings them together again in Los Angeles, which is where I see them.
Pyroradio.com: Did you all get to hang out during the shoot?
Jordana Brewster: That doesn’t happen as much when you are shooting in Los Angeles, because everybody lives here and gets to go home, but once we got the group back together we had some fun.
Pyroradio.com: Do you like working in Los Angeles?
Jordana Brewster: I love it, and it was great to be in Downtown, as I don’t know it that well. And it’s also cool to drive by certain areas afterwards and remember the experience. But it was a bit weird to shoot in the same house we had in the original movie and see that it hadn’t changed.
Pyroradio.com: What do you think makes this franchise different to other films with cars?
Jordana Brewster: Car movies have always existed, but I think this franchise is more relatable because it shows people how they are and doesn’t paint a perfect scenario.
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