Vin Diesel is standing by the women of “Fast & Furious” as they stand up for equality.
Michelle Rodriguez, in an Instagram post on Tuesday, threatened to quit the franchise because of its treatment of women. The actress, known for her role as Letty Ortiz, said that she was leveraging herself until those in charge “decide to show some love to the women of the franchise on the next one.” And Friday night, she garnered Diesel’s support when they posted a video to his account.
“Proud of our saga...but we must try to reach higher each time,” Diesel captioned his post. “The challenge is what makes it fun. It’s also why this saga has reached the level that it has...you have been the best fans in film history and are forever grateful...Dom and Letty.”
The friends and costars filmed a short clip in which Rodriguez explains that her criticism had nothing to do with Diesel. She calls the actor the “biggest supporter of strong women,” and he gives her a sweet kiss.
“And I’ve always appreciated that about you, throughout the years,” Rodriguez says. “Just know if I ever post anything, it’s not you I’m talking to.”
Diesel is the franchise’s biggest star, playing the role of family man Dominic Toretto. His and Rodriguez’s characters have been a part of the franchise since the beginning, but their characters are not given the same level of attention when it comes to storylines.
Rodriguez told Entertainment Weekly in May that she demanded a certain level of respect for her character, Leticia “Letty” Ortiz, a racer, mechanic and Dom’s wife. The actress talked about challenging the film’s writers and producers in the past to make Letty more realistic and objecting to a love triangle originally planned for her character.
“At the end of the day, the only leverage I have as an individual is my participation,” Rodriguez told EW. “That’s the only leverage I ever use with anything. It’s like, look, this doesn’t agree with my ethics, morals.”
The “Fast & Furious” franchise is worth almost $4 billion, and each day the numbers grow. The saga will continue with a ninth and 10th film planned through 2021.
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