They’ve starred in the Resident Evil trilogy together but have kicked major ass elsewhere for years. And we’re thankful Interview Magazine decided Milla Jovovich should interview Michelle Rodriguez.
First the two caught up about life. Jovovich is about to have another child and told her pal, “the first time around I didn’t feel like such a science experiment. This time I keep having images of, like, Alien.” To which Rodriguez replied, “That’s awesome.” She also had this to say on the topic of having children. “I’m 36, Milla. It’s been 15 years since I was the lead in my own feature, in Girlfight. So I haven’t done what I came here to do. I’m just kind of fiddling around. I haven’t even been born yet. I’ve been part of really big things that are amazing, but I haven’t taken on that responsibility yet. So I don’t want to sell myself short by having a kid and then regret not doing what I set out to do.”
The two also discuss their youth and Rodriguez’s in-need-of-spellcheck diary writing but also talked about being picked on by her brothers growing up. “Injustice always boiled my blood. The way I survived growing up in Jersey City was by being funny. It wasn’t by being tough,” she said. “Nobody thought of me as a tough kid, except for the kids I beat up. [laughs] Not the real tough kids.”
And on her most well-known character on film and diversity in Hollywood:
JOVOVICH: I loved reading about how much you care for and respect your Fast & Furious character, Letty, who you also describe as a quote-unquote slut.
RODRIGUEZ: Yeah, she’s a whore. [laughs] But, you know what it is? People don’t like talking about it, but if you’re Spanish, you feel a weight. I don’t have much history—I’ve got Rosie Perez, Jennifer Lopez, Rita Moreno. That’s it. That’s the history of Latin women in Hollywood, really. I’m like, “Well, damn, that means that I have to carry a flag.” I don’t have the freedom to just do anything, because I have the political weight of having this last name and my heritage. It’s not like I’ve transcended, Will Smith-style. It takes a lot to pull that off, to cross over, and transcend. So when I looked at Letty, I told them, “You can’t do the stereotype thing. I get that this dynamic is based on Point Break [1991], but it doesn’t work now. Either you don’t make her slut—not make her a character that gets with both [Vin Diesel’s character and Paul Walker’s] and you respect her, or you’re going to lose me. And you can sue me and do whatever because I’m from Jersey City, what the fuck do I give a fuck? I’ll go back to where I came from. Whoop-de-do. You’re not hurting me none—it’s not like I’m losing millions.” Vin [Diesel] protected me. He was like, “Wait a minute, I don’t want a slut for a girlfriend! That makes me look bad.” [both laugh]
JOVOVICH: So you actually got the producers to completely change the script?
RODRIGUEZ: Yeah, that was Vin’s fault, by protecting me. Otherwise I would’ve ended up getting sued because I’m stubborn. I’m hardheaded. I don’t do what I don’t want to do. And you know that like the back of your hand, Milla. You’re a monster when it comes to that shit, like, “I ain’t havin’ it!” I love you for that.
JOVOVICH: [laughs] Well, I’ve always found that it’s such an emotional experience, trying to find the good parts of a bad character or the bad parts of a good character, and in the end, most of these qualities are already there inside me. Does that make me bad or good? There’s an existential crisis …
But as both are well known for playing the “strong female character” archetype, the conversation eventually drifted that way:
JOVOVICH: On your Instagram recently, you posted something saying, “Can you imagine me playing a snob,” or something. [Rodriguez laughs] How easily do you think you could go outside of your comfort zone as an actress? Because you are obviously known for being kick-ass, for being the strong woman and representing female empowerment, have you ever considered pulling “actor” roles?
RODRIGUEZ: I would love to, Milla. But they’ve never come across my table. Maybe I exclude myself from that genre by not getting dressed up often enough, by acting ghetto most of the time, and running around in sweats and Timberlands.
Jovovich mentioned they’re “very similar in that sense,” as in, that’s indeed what they’re known for. “To sit there and explain to a guy what it’s like to be a kick-ass woman is hard. I think there’re only a handful of directors out there that get it—you married one,” said Rodriguez, “Maybe if women like you or me were behind the camera or writing these scripts, it’d be different.”
Ah ha! A lightbulb goes off.
“I’d love to see four girls who actually get along in a movie that’s not about chasing some guy or marrying somebody. [laughs] Like, where the fuck is our Pulp Fiction?” asks Rodriguez. “Where is our Reservoir Dogs? Where’s that cool shit with the chicks kicking ass, having some fun? I’ve met some really crazy bitches in my life and I’ve had lots of really amazing friends; I want to see that onscreen. Maybe I’ll take some time off and just go write, because, fuck it. What do I have to lose?”
(via MTV)
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