- Has been sentenced to serve community service at a morgue, after being convicted of driving offenses. (June 9, 2004)
- Faces eight misdemeanor charges after she was caught driving fast and furiously twice on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. (November 20, 2003)
- Refuses to play maid roles.
- Of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent
- She cemented her tough-girl rep while filming the surf movie BLUE CRUSH on the north shore of Hawaii.
- She is turning down sexy roles - because she hates being an object of lust.
- Neither Rodriguez nor Jordana Brewster had driver's licenses or even learner's permits before production of THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS (2001)
- Filming her upcoming movie CONTROL (2004) (August 2003)
- Moved a few times while growing up. She lived in Texas, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Jersey City.
- Is starring in the very liberal play, The Vagina Monologues.
- Went through 4 1/2 months of intense training for her role in GIRLFIGHT.
- After her training, Michelle was offered a place in the pro female boxing league.
- Hobbies are: inline skating/ rollerbalading, biking, dancing.
- Once rumored to be dating 35 year old actor and Fast and the Furious costar, Vin Diesel a rumor which much evidence would suggest to be true but if it was true, they are now broken up. More recent rumors have claimed a pairing with the 28 year old New York Yankee, Derek Jeter. The pairing with Jeter appears highly unlikely/untrue. Supposedly he was seen with Michelle's TFTAF costar Jordana Brewtster which led to a mixup in the press in which they linked Michelle to him.
- Speaks spanish, though she says she doesn't speak it very well.
- Was arrested in early 2002 for beating up her roomate in Jersey. Charges were dropped and she served no time.
- Dropped out of school at 17 after having been kicked out of 6 different schools.
- While Michelle stayed with her grandmother for several years in Puerto Rico, she was taught to be a Jehovah's Witness. She later abandoned the religion because she felt it restricted her too much.
- Plays the piano
- Beat out 350 other girls for the role of Diana Guzman in GIRLFIGHT (2000).
- GIRLFIGHT (2000) was her first acting audition, and she got the role. THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS (2001) was her second audition, and she also got that role.
- Nominated for Best On-Screen Team at MTV Movie Awards for BLUE CRUSH (2003) - shared with Kate Bosworth, Sanoe Lake
Quotes- "I don't like sitting around looking cute, that's not me."
- "I think empathy is a beautiful thing. I think that's the power of film though. We have one of the most powerful, one of the greatest communicative tools known to man. It's a form of communication and it's gonna reach you in a way of growth- most of the time."
- "I don't want people thinking of me sexually. 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. It just completely throws people off. I had a couple of offers to do some hot scenes in the shower with some guy and to make it real hot and sexy. The next thing you know, I'd be the next J.Lo or something. But that's easy. I want [success] the hard way."
- "My favorite part of my body is my brain. I think no matter what my body looks like I wont be satisfied unless I know how to use it."
- "I dont think it's narcissistic at all to love yourself and believe in yourself. I think some people are really scared to do that. I have to. If I don't, I would not succed in what I do."
- "No matter what, people are so narrow minded that it won't ever be Michelle Rodriguez the actress, it will always be Michelle Rodriguez the Latin actress. And it's just something that I have to live with, because of the fact that people need labels to understand things. I can't even get into this ignorance that I'm dealing with. So I just ignore it, you know? Ignore the ignorance."
Awards- Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards: Sierra Award - Best Female Newcomer, GIRLFIGHT (2001)
- Independent Spirit Awards: Best Debut Performance, GIRLFIGHT (2001)
- Deauville Film Festival: Acting Prize - Best Female Performance, GIRLFIGHT (2000)
- Gotham Awards: Breakthrough Award, GIRLFIGHT (2000)
- National Board of Review: Best Breakthrough Performance by an Actress, GIRLFIGHT (2000)
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