If you’re in any way of fan of action-related movies, you know how integral stunt doubles are to bring these silver screen stories to life. While some actors are able and willing to perform certain stunts themselves, inevitably there are things too dangerous for them to do, which is when you bring in the professionals. Unfortunately, stunt doubles aren’t honored at the Academy Awards, but Michelle Rodriguez is throwing some respect their way in the midst of filming Fast X.
The latest Fast & Furious movie got off to a rocky start with production when director Justin Lin departed the blockbuster just one week after cameras began rolling, but now that Louis Leterrier has been tapped as Lin’s replacement, filming seems to be going smoothly. Vin Diesel has shared a handful of behind-the-scenes looks with of his costars, including a shirtless Jason Momoa, and now Michelle Rodriguez has posted a slideshow on Instagram highlighting the Fast X stunt team, as you’ll see below.
Fast X is currently shooting scenes out in Rome, and Michelle Rodriguez took some time to give the movie’s stunt team their proper due. In fact, she went so far as to call stunt people the “heart beat” of the Fast & Furious franchise and commended them for giving these movies “life.” At the end, Rodriguez gave a shoutout to the women who are in the Fast X motorcycle crew, so when you see the motorcycle stunts in the movie next year, think of them. Oh, and can we please include a stunt category at the Oscars already?
Michelle Rodriguez has been part of the Fast & Furious franchise since it launched in 2001, although following the release of The Fast and the Furious, she didn’t pop back up as Letty Ortiz until 2009’s Fast & Furious. That movie saw Rodriguez’s character quickly killed off… or so it seemed at the time, as Fast Five concluded with revealing that Letty was still alive. Starting with Fast & Furious 6, Letty became an integral player in the main Fast & Furious film series, as she, Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto and the rest of their unorthodox family now frequently use their racing skills and all-around badassery to save the world on a regular basis. We’ve also seen how experienced Letty is riding a motorcycle, so I’m curious to see what cool tricks she’ll show off with such a vehicle in Fast X.
Along with Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez, the lineup of familiar faces back for Fast X include Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Jordana Brewster (thank Diesel’s daughter for Mia Toretto’s return), Sung Kang, Nathalie Emmanuel, Charlize Theron, John Cena, Michael Rooker, Cardi B and Scott Eastwood (who hasn’t been seen in this world since The Fate of the Furious). Joining Jason Momoa in the crowd of newcomers is Daniela Melchior, Brie Larson, Alan Ritchson and Rita Moreno, the latter of whom is playing Dom, Mia and Jakob Toretto’s grandmother. Fast X will be the penultimate movie in the main Fast & Furious film series, although even after Fast 11 comes out, the overall franchise will keep going through spinoffs, like Hobbs & Shaw 2 and the solo Cipher movie.
Fast X races into theaters on May 19, 2023, so while we wait for more updates on its progress, see what the rest of this year’s cinematic entertainment lineup looks like by checking out the 2022 movie releases.