Michelle Rodriguez is one of Hollywood’s most popular “tough girl” actors. She got her start in independent films but quickly transitioned to major franchises such as the Fast & Furious movies. Uncompromising and straightforward, Rodriguez has also acted prolifically in television, including in the TV series Lost. Many of her characters have something in common, in addition to their tough personas — they all die horrifically onscreen. Even James Cameron opted to kill off her fan-favorite Avatar character, revealing later that he very much regretted eliminating the chance for Rodriguez to appear in the sequel.
Michelle Rodriguez has died onscreen in a lot of movies
Rodriguez got her start in independent movies, portraying a boxer in the 2000 film Girlfight. Just one year later, she originated the role of Letty in the Fast & Furious franchise. Over the years that followed, Rodriguez’s popularity grew. She would go on to land roles in movies like Blue Crush, Battle in Seattle, Machete, and Resident Evil. Fans grew to love Rodriguez’s tough characters and the way she would go toe-to-toe with the industry’s strongest action stars.
Interestingly, Rodriguez’s characters have a habit of dying onscreen. According to Project Casting, Rodriguez has died in many films and TV shows, from Lost to Avatar and Resident Evil. Many fans have noticed this, and over the years, the reason for Rodriguez’s propensity for on-screen deaths has become a subject of hot online debate.
What has Michelle Rodriguez said about her propensity to die in movies?
Rodriguez herself has spoken out about why she often dies in her film projects. “They always kill me,” she explained in a Wired Autocomplete Interview in 2023. “They’re like, ‘She doesn’t have a boyfriend. We don’t know what the purpose of this strong female…is.’” When Chris Pine emphasized that she gets brought back to life because of the fans, Rodriguez agrees that’s “a good thing.” “But why kill me in the first place?”
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Though she’d like to stick around longer, Rodriguez likes the kinds of characters she plays. “I was typecast the minute I did a film called ‘Girlfight’ years ago,” she told Hollywood News. “You allow yourself to be typecast. If I decided I didn’t want to be typecast tomorrow I’d just go do an indie film where I play some poor girl who goes through some excruciating experience and win myself an award for crying or being raped or playing someone with mental illness.”
James Cameron opened up about writing Michelle Rodriguez out of ‘Avatar’
Rodriguez played Captain Trudy Chacón in Cameron’s blockbuster Avatar. Although her character was killed off in the film, Cameron has admitted that he regrets that writing choice. “The character of Trudy has this amazing integrity, and that’s who Michelle is. I mean, I’m kind of kicking myself today that I killed her off,” the famous director said.
As for Rodriguez, she has noted that she’s very thankful for Cameron, admitting that his decision to believe in her abilities and cast her in Avatar helped to open up more doors for her in Hollywood and allowed her to start landing roles in big projects again after a particularly rough period in her career.
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