Michelle Rodriguez her charismatic
performance made her an instant indie It Girl
|
About
Michelle Rodriguez
|
|
Michelle Rodriguez Simultaneously tough
and sexy, this Latina bombshell worked as an extra in a handful of films
before winning the lead in the independent boxing flick Girlfight after
attending an open call. Although her charismatic performance made her an
instant indie It Girl, she quickly took on action roles in big-budget
blockbusters. In 2005, Rodriguez made her small-screen debut with a one-year
stint on Lost as a cop with a murderous secret. Michelle's performances in
Girlfight, The Fast and the Furious and Resident Evil cemented her status as
one of the toughest characters in Hollywood. Some assault charges in the
spring of 2002 extended that reputation off the set as well.
"I don't want people to be like, 'She's hot-looking', you know? I want them
to listen to me for what I am saying. And I think the best way to do that is
to sniff my armpits, and like, sit and burp every now and then." -Michelle
Rodriguez
|
|
|
Michelle Rodriguez's
Birthday |
Michelle Rodriguez was born in Bell County, Texas on July 12, 1978. Her
father's profession in the army made for a rather nomadic lifestyle for the
Rodriguez clan, who moved to the Dominican Republic in 1986, and then to
Puerto Rico two years later. When Michelle was 11, the family relocated to
Jersey City, New Jersey, where they settled down permanently. Michelle's
time in Dominican had endowed her with fluency in Spanish as well as a
strong sense of moral virtue, the influence of a grandmother who was a
devout Jehovah's Witness. Nevertheless, this spiritual stability failed to
translate into Michelle's personal life, who, by age 17, had been kicked out
of six schools before giving up on the education system altogether.
|
Michelle Rodriguez as Actress |
|
As
legend has it, when director Karyn Kusama was casting the lead for her
directorial debut, Girlfight, she wanted to find a young woman who would
radiate the powerful, surly charisma of the young Marlon Brando. Her search
for an actor with this enviable but elusive quality ended when Michelle
Rodriguez, a 20-year-old Latina whose previous experience was limited to
work as an extra, answered an ad in Backstage magazine that Kusama had
posted. Cast as Diana Guzman, the fierce and vibrant protagonist of Kusama's
story of a high school girl who takes up boxing, Rodriguez went on to earn
almost universal acclaim for her powerful portrayal, winning the admiration
of audiences and critics from Sundance to Toronto.
It was while she was working as an extra in various film productions that
she answered Kusama's ad for actors; after being cast as Girlfight's
protagonist, she trained intensively to condition her body like that of a
boxer to such a degree that, at one point, she was even asked to go pro. Her
dedication to the physical and emotional demands of her character paid off
lavishly, when Girlfight premiered at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival it
received the Grand Jury Prize, with Rodriguez's performance singled out as
one of the most exciting breakthroughs in years; among the many kudos she
subsequently received was the National Board of Review's prize for Best
Breakthrough Performance. Striving to maintain the balance between sexy and
tough, Rodriguez would take on zombies in Resident Evil (2002) before
hitting the waves in Blue Crush. Though neither film proved a bona fide
box-office smash, they did offer the up and coming actress the exposure
needed to develop an enduring career. Rodriguez could next be seen opposite
Colin Farrell in the hard-hitting action thriller S.W.A.T.
|
|
|
Michelle Rodriguez's Movies |
|
2006 The
Breed
2006 BloodRayne
2005 Sian Ka'an
2005 IGPX [Anime Series]
2004 Control
2003 S.W.A.T.
2002 Resident Evil
2002 Blue Crush
2001 The Fast and the Furious
2001 3 A.M.
2000 Girlfight
|
Michelle Rodriguez Is Out of Jail...
Again |
|
|
if you're
ever planning on breaking the law, and you think you might end up doing
jail time, here's a tip for you: become a celebrity. We already know
celebs get ton of free crap, even though they can afford pretty much
anything, but now, they're getting what amounts to real life
get-out-of-jail-free cards. Well, at Michelle Rodriguez is. Yup,
according to People magazine, Michelle's latest 60-day jail sentence was
over and done with in a little over four hours.
Call it a lucky break for Michelle Rodriguez: The former Lost actress
was released from Los Angeles County Jail on Thursday after serving a
mere four hours and 20 minutes of her two-month jail sentence.
"Needless to say, our prosecutors are not happy about this," says a
spokesperson for the L.A. City Attorney's office. "But the sheriffs have
a policy to let some nonviolent offenders go early, in part due to jail
overcrowding."
Rodriguez, 27, must perform 30 days of community service and is on two
years probation.
The night of her release, the actress was spotted at the Tropicana Bar
at the Roosevelt Hotel, and on Monday night at the Hollywood club Shag.
"Michelle's happy with the way things turned out," her friend, designer
Anand Jon, tells PEOPLE. "She knows this wasn't a literal
get-out-of-jail-free card. Michelle's taken responsibility for the past
and now she's ready to focus on her career."
Actually, it was a literal get-out-of-jail-free card. That's what it's
called when you get out of jail, for free. But you know what the real
kicker is? These pictures of Michelle Rodriguez were taken at the
Ultimate Fighting Championship. I guess if you can't get that
up-close-and-personal prison violence, a no-holds-barred ring match is
the next best thing.
|
|
|
Michelle Rodriguez is Leaving the
Country |
Embattled former Lost star, Michelle Rodriguez has had her fair share of
drama lately, what with the drunk driving, the going to jail, and the
going to jail again. So how is Michelle dealing with all this turmoil in
her life? Well, according to TMZ, she's going to suck it up, do her jail
time, and then get the hell out of dodge. That's right, Michelle
Rodriguez said she's leaving the country.
I'm moving to France. You know, people don't bother you there. I do what
I got to do. Then I leave the country and never come back.
Well, we'll miss you, Michelle. Well maybe not, but it won't be the same
without you. I guess we'll just have to wait for Lindsay Lohan or Paris
Hilton to get busted for drunk driving next. You know it's bound to
happen.
|
| "Lost" Stars Arrested for Drunk Driving |
|
People has learned that Michelle Rodriguez and Cynthia Watros of Lost, were
arrested Wednesday night on suspicion of driving under the influence of
alcohol. The two were driving in separate cars, and posted bail the next
morning. Great, even more reason to be scared of Michelle Rodriguez:
This wouldn't be the first driving-related mishap for Rodriguez, who last
year pleaded no contest to three misdemeanors (a hit and run, driving with a
suspended license, and driving under the influence) stemming from two 2003
incidents in L.A. She was sentenced to 48 hours in jail, community service
and treatment in a 30-day alcohol program.
|
|
|
Michelle Rodriguez Bikini Pictures |
|
Michelle Rodriguez scares me. She plays the tough girl in all her roles, and
I've never seen her un-tough in any interviews or anything. She's on Lost
this year, and every time she's on screen I feel like she's gonna come
through my TV and kick the shit out of me. Look at her, even on the beach,
wearing a bikini, she's still playing with guns! |