Michelle Rodriguez’s return to ‘Fast & Furious’ was a surprise — even to her

Philip Yu

Go big or go home. This summer's "Fast & Furious 6," the latest installment of the globe-trotting blockbuster auto action franchise, promises explosive vehicular mayhem, knuckle-busting action, and the triumphant return of the fan-favorite "Fast" cast -- including one character's apparent resurrection from the dead.

Michelle Rodriguez, who starred in 2001's original "The Fast and the Furious," returns to the series as high-speed heistin' tough gal Letty, former partner in crime and lost love to Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto. She was seemingly killed after a fiery crash, albeit offscreen, in the fourth film. But in "Fast & Furious 6," it appears that rumors of Letty's death were greatly exaggerated -- much to the surprise of her old flame.

Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez talk to Yahoo! Movies on the set of 'Fast & Furious 6':

Of course, fans of the series knew she'd be back. Those who stuck around after the main credit sequence of the last "Fast" outing were treated to a juicy epilogue with Dwayne Johnson and a cameo from Eva Mendes -- reprising her federal agent role from "2 Fast 2 Furious" -- who dropped a photographic bombshell: Letty was alive, and implicated in the recent hijacking of a military convoy in Germany. The tasty cliffhanger conveniently set up the sixth sequel, and immediately left "Fast" fans clamoring for the inevitable next film.

Fans weren't the only ones who were hit with the surprise ending. Michelle Rodriguez says that Diesel, who also serves as producer, purposefully left her in the dark about the fact that her character's grainy photo would be the parting shot of "Fast Five."

"They wanted to surprise me," said Rodriguez, speaking with Yahoo! Movies on the London set of "Fast & Furious 6." "I didn't find out until I actually went to the theater and saw it myself."

However, Diesel says Rodriguez's return was always on the road map. Even her supposed "death" scene in "Fast & Furious," which led audiences to believe that Letty was murdered, was deliberately crafted to leave the door open for the character's eventual re-emergence in the series.

"We had designed all of those scenes to allow for this inevitable return," said Diesel.

It's this return that pulls Dominic back behind the wheel. "Fast & Furious 6" finds Letty working as the second-in-command of an outfit of lethally-skilled mercenary drivers pulling jobs across twelve countries. DSS Agent Hobbs recruits Dom and his associates to outmatch this dangerous criminal organization on the streets of London, in exchange for full pardons for the whole crew.

In addition to the tire squeals and hot pursuits we've come to expect from the "Fast" franchise, we'll see Rodriguez going mano-a-mano with real-life mixed martial arts fighter-turned-actress Gina Carano, who plays a member of Hobbs' team. Trailers also indicate Dom and Letty's reunion does not go well.

"Fast & Furious 6," director Justin Lin's fourth time around in the series' driver's seat, speeds into theaters everywhere on May 24.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Q1 2024 W R Berkley Corp Earnings Call

    Q1 2024 W R Berkley Corp Earnings Call

  • Louvre exhibition zooms in on history and those behind the modern Olympics

    Three months before the start of the Paris Olympics, the Louvre will add its cultural heft to the prelude with the launch on Wednesday of an exhibition glorifying the museum's role in the birth of the modern Games. It features the academics, artists and politicians whose dynamism defined the Olympics at its rebirth in 1896. "Olympism, a Modern Creation, an Ancient Heritage" runs until 16 September in the Galerie Richelieu and gathers 120 vases, pictures, drawings, stamps and letters from the Lou

  • Analysis-China's EV survival game creates peril - and power

    By most measures, the last thing China needs is more electric cars crowding a market with more losers than winners, driving down prices at the expense of profit and taking the fight for market share beyond China. But while there is a peril in China's overcapacity, there is also a power in the hyper-competition it has unleashed, analysts, suppliers and executives say. China's leading EV makers have found ways to slash vehicle development time, combining speed to market with new features and a pricing advantage rivals outside cannot match.

  • US seeks 36 months' jail for Binance founder Zhao

    Changpeng Zhao, the founder of Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, should serve 36 months in prison after pleading guilty to violating laws against money laundering, U.S. prosecutors said in a court filing on Tuesday. Zhao, who is expected to be sentenced on April 30 in Seattle, stepped down as Binance's chief last November, when he and the exchange admitted to the violations, and the firm agreed to a penalty of $4.32 billion. "Given the magnitude of Zhao's willful violation of U.S. law and its consequences, an above-guidelines sentence of 36 months is warranted," U.S. prosecutors told the U.S. district court for the western district of Washington.

  • Is Babcock International Group PLC's (LON:BAB) 9.1% ROE Strong Compared To Its Industry?

    While some investors are already well versed in financial metrics (hat tip), this article is for those who would like...

  • NBA Twitter reacts to Mavs – Clippers Game 2 thriller: ‘Luka won the game defensively’

    Here's how NBA Twitter reacted to the Mavericks tying up the series against the Clippers.

  • Australian PM calls Elon Musk an 'arrogant billionaire' in row over attack footage

    Anthony Albanese's comments come amid a feud over X's reluctance to remove footage of a stabbing.

  • Q1 2024 Crane Co Earnings Call

    Q1 2024 Crane Co Earnings Call

  • Studio Ghibli’s work ‘like Shakespeare’, says My Neighbour Totoro stage show’s director

    Hayao Miyazaki’s animations praised by Phelim McDermott as new production in West End announced

  • BBC radio star Zoe Ball announces death of mother following cancer diagnosis

    The BBC Radio 2 presenter announced in early March that her mother Julia had been diagnosed with cancer.

  • 'I'm just really grateful': Scottsdale teen donates books to those in need

    Ellie Park created the 'Books for All Foundation' to collect book donations from her community and bring them to areas with limited access to them. Her first delivery of 400 books was to Dilkon Restoration Church on the reservation.

  • Mum started out with £300 - now she's £1m Queen Bee

    A woman who survived domestic abuse has grown a successful business motivating entrepreneurs.

  • Italy passes law allowing pro-life groups access to abortion clinics

    Opponents of the amendment question the wisdom of allowing medically unqualified groups access to women considering an abortion but the government counters the move is designed so prospective patients can be better informed.View on euronews

  • UPDATE 1-Roche Q1 sales down 6% on forex effect, loss of COVID revenue

    Roche said on Wednesday its first-quarter sales slipped by 6% as the loss on COVID-19 related revenue was partly offset by a better-than-expected sales boost for eye drug Vabysmo. Quarterly sales fell to 14.4 billion Swiss francs ($15.80 billion), in line with analysts expectations, also due to a strong Swiss franc weighing on overseas revenue, the family-controlled Swiss drugmaker said in a statement. Roche said the rest of the year would no longer be burdened by higher year-on-year comparisons from inflated sales during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • What we know about plans for a new 'West Terminal' at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport

    Mayor Kate Gallego outlined her vision for the City of Phoenix at her state of the city address Tuesday. One of the big talking points was plans for a new terminal at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and ABC15 worked to learn more about what would be a major project for the city.

  • Leaving the ECHR ‘not necessary,’ Cameron says

    Ministers are braced for legal challenges to the Rwanda plan and the judiciary has made 25 courtrooms available to deal with cases.

  • Analyst: Trump 'lucky' contempt order not more severe

    STORY: The former president is in court for the second day of his trial on charges he falsified business records to cover up a $130,000 payment before the 2016 election to buy port star Stormy Daniels' silence about a sexual encounter she says they had in 2006.Vida Johnson, an associate law professor at Georgetown University, said that Trump is likely the beneficiary of his wealth and power, and that a less privileged citizen could have already faced penalties as severe as imprisonment.Judge Juan Merchan is considering whether Trump should be punished for violating a gag order that prevents him from criticizing witnesses and others involved in the case.Prosecutors are asking Merchan to fine Trump for criticizing Stormy Daniels and his former lawyer Michael Cohen, both of whom are expected to testify. They also have highlighted Trump's claim last week that people were lying to get on the jury so they could convict him.Merchan could opt to fine Trump $1,000 for each of those violations, as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office has requested.Those fines, Georgetown Law’s Vida Johnson told Reuters, are relatively mild.“It is absolutely common in courthouses around the country for judges when they use their contempt power, to hold people in contempt of court and they face jail time,” she said.“It appears to me that Trump is the beneficiary of any politics that might be at play. And I think those politics are that he's a wealthy person with a lot of power, and that's why both the prosecutors haven't asked for more serious sanctions.”Justice Merchan said on Tuesday he would not immediately rule on the fine request, but he appeared unmoved by Trump defense lawyer Todd Blanche's arguments that Trump was responding to political attacks, not intimidating witnesses."You've presented nothing," Merchan said. "I've asked you eight, or nine times, show me the exact post he was responding to. You've not even been able to do that once.""I have to tell you right now, you're losing all credibility with the court," the judge added.After the session, Trump repeated his claim that the gag order violated his constitutional free speech rights, calling the proceedings a “kangaroo court”.On Tuesday, the first trial witness, former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, testified that he used his supermarket tabloid to suppress stories that might have hurt Trump's 2016 presidential bid.

  • News bulletin 2024/04/24 07:29

    News bulletin 2024/04/24 07:29View on euronews

  • PRESS DIGEST- New York Times business news - April 24

    The City of Baltimore has said that the owner and manager of the cargo ship that brought down the Francis Scott Key Bridge last month are directly responsible for the accident and should not be allowed to avoid legal liability. - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will arrive in China on Wednesday to try to preserve the recent and delicate stabilization of ties between the United States and China, as tensions over trade, territorial disputes and national security threaten to derail relations again. - The U.S. Senate voted on Tuesday night to give final approval to a $95.3 billion package of aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending it to President Biden.

  • Embattled Stockton school board member denied participation in meeting

    A former Stockton Unified School District board president was denied the opportunity to appear remotely at the board of trustees's regular meeting on Tuesday, despite still being a board member, according to her attorney.