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Oh Really?

Michelle Rodriguez Doesn’t Think She’s Done Enough Action Films To Be In A Female Expendables

by Jill Pantozzi | 11:06 am, September 10th, 2012


When we first heard an all-female Expendables type film was in the works, Michelle Rodriguez was one actress a lot of you said was a must-have. Rodriguez disagrees. She says she doesn’t have enough action film experience under her belt yet to which we say, “ORLY?” 

The actress was recently interviewed by Judao.com about the possibility of taking on such a role. She replied:

I think it’s impossible right now for somebody like me because there’s so much…you know, [Sylvester] Stallone, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger…they have 20, 30 movies to look back on and make fun of in their movie Expendables. And that’s what I think Expendables is, it’s like the Tropic Thunder of making fun of what we did. You know, it’s taking a walk in the museum and pointing at things and laughing with an audience that has shared this with you and it’s a beautiful thing. But I don’t think I’ve done enough to go there and look at the museum. I think I need another ten years before I’m ready to make fun of myself.

A very respectful answer to be sure. And yes, if you’re comparing yourself to the illustrious careers of people like Stallone and Schwarzenegger, you’re bound to come up short but that doesn’t mean you don’t have your own impressive resume at 34 years old. Shall we?

  • Girlfight
  • The Fast and the Furious
  • Resident Evil
  • S.W.A.T.
  • BloodRayne
  • Fast & Furious
  • Avatar
  • Machete
  • Battle Los Angeles
  • Resident Evil: Retribution
  • Machete Kills
  • The Fast and the Furious 6

Not all Oscar worthy of course (though you could say the same about the fellas) but that leaves something to make fun of!

There’s still hope if you ask me. We have this all-female Expendables-like film being developed by Adi Shankar’s banner, 1984 Private Defense Contractors, but we also have the director of the last Expendables film showing serious interest in adding women action stars to the next installment of the franchise.

“I like the idea of the Expenda-Belles where it’s seven or eight women mercenaries,” said Simon West. “It would be Angelina Jolie, Cameron Diaz, Milla Jovovich, the list goes on. Helen Mirren, Jamie Lee Curtis would be great.”

So what do you think? Does Rodriguez have it right? If so, which female action stars actually have a list long enough to make the cut?

(via Crave Online)

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  • 150

    Expenda-Belles is USELESS without Sigourney Weaver.

  • Anonymous

    Good decision I think. She wants to look forward. The veterans in those movies are already looking back, reminiscing about the good old days. She thinks she should still have good new days ahead of her!

  • http://twitter.com/IvidiaKt Ividia Kt

    I’d have to search to find another woman who has as many action films as MRod and I don’t think I could come up with one except for maybe Cynthia Rothrock. Linda Hamilton only has Terminator and Sarah wasn’t a badass until the second one. Sigourney has the Alien franchise. I don’t know that I’d classify Avatar as action, but MRod was in that too. She definitely absolutely qualifies.

    A couple of other worthies IMO: Jeanette Goldstein (Near Dark and Aliens off the top of my head) and Lena Heady .

    And I can’t remember but was Sarah Michelle Gellar mentioned for the Indispensibles (what I’d call a fem version)?

  • http://twitter.com/LiviaLlewellyn Livia Llewellyn

    Please: Sigourney Weaver should be at the TOP of your list!

  • Adam R. Charpentier

    Absolutely. Rodriguez is still too young for anything more than a Hemingsworth style guest starring role.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dawn-Hunt/1576251186 Dawn Hunt

    Michelle Yeoh needs to be part of this

  • http://www.facebook.com/brian.adkins.77 Brian Adkins

    That is quite a few but glad to see she doesn’t have an ego about her career.
    Cameron Diaz? Um,what has she done besides 2 Charlies Angels movies? Not that I would mind but has she done that many action movies?

  • Terence Ng

    THANK YOU.

  • Terence Ng

    If Cameron Diaz is on here, Lucy Liu definitely should be in because of (the terrible) Ballistic film she did and Kill Bill in addition to the Charlie’s Angels films.

    And even though it’s one (or two) films, Uma Thurman really brought back the female action star. She’s gotta be in there somewhere.

  • http://twitter.com/ComicBookCandy Comic Book Candy

    Her response may have been a clever way of saying “I don’t want to be typecast”.

  • Adam R. Charpentier

    Maybe in a few years, she’ll develop her acting ability beyond, “Vasquez From Aliens.”

  • Guest

    Ahm… Buffy?

  • http://www.facebook.com/lindsey.stock.7 Lindsey Stock

    She kind of has been already hasn’t she? I haven’t seen all of the movies she’s been in, but the ones I have seen, her characters are more or less interchangeable. Like Nicholas Cage, only not boring.

  • Anonymous

    Every franchise would be infinitely better with more M-Rod!

  • Terence Ng

    I thought we were talking about movies, not television. SMG’s only brought back Daphne as an action star in Scooby Doo as far as film goes.

  • Anonymous

    What! But she’s the first person that came to mind when I thought about the possibility of a lady expendable! I guess I understand though.

  • http://twitter.com/misssunshineUD miss sunshine

    She would be perfect! Though it would be cool to see her playing a total badass that is still alive at the end of the film :|

  • Anonymous

    Scratch Diaz, Curtis, Mirren – they are not action stars just because they happend to be in one or two such movies. I love Mirren to death, but she doesn’t belong in Expenda-Belles.
    Weaver, Hamilton, Jovovich, Jolie, Yeoh, Pam Grier and MRod are my fantasy team. Grace Jones and Demi More as villains.

  • Anonymous

    lol let me tell you, Jet Li and Schwarzenegger are not exactly Marlon Brando either

  • Adam R. Charpentier

    I think you haven’t seen Schwarzenegger’s rending portrayal of Hamlet! I agree wholeheartedly, of course…but I do think she (Rodriguez) has a wider range that isn’t being explored because of her supposed action movie roots.

    Side note: it’s amazing when you list them back to back how many of those movies up above were very successful and yet terrible.

  • http://twitter.com/Paraveina Caitlin

    WHY must they do that stupid word play? I understand they think Expenda-Belles sounds clever, but I’m so sick and tired of having to feminize everything.

  • Anonymous

    My favorite list would be: Helen Mirren, Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Lee
    Curtis, Angelina Jolie, Kate Beckinsale, Charlize Theron, Milla
    Jovavich, and Lucy Liu. Linda Hamilton, Michelle Rodriguez and Zoe
    Saldana can have smaller, but also important, roles. If a sequel happens
    then you can add others like Uma Thurman, Angela Bassett, Gina Carrano,
    Sharon Stone, and Demi Moore.

  • Anonymous

    I agree with you completely.

  • http://twitter.com/sylvanfire Angie Willerton

    I SO AGREE!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=597171283 Lisa Still Smouldering

    WAT? Also, WAT? She has, arguably, the longest action resume of almost any female actress alive! (Don’t forget Lost-female cop gone rogue who leads a much more demoralized group of survivors to the other side of the island?) YES PLEASE! Just be a teeny bit less humble, Michelle-guys have 10 times more action movies under their belts because the studios thought that was all we wanted to see.

  • Raine

    I wouldn’t consider Diaz fit this :L

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