Movie role was worth the weight
like going to Disneyland. “You didn’t know what you were going to see next. I don’t know what their proper D&D name is but I love the dragon people. They are so cool and scary.” She added: “The scenic backdrops in the movie are incredible. “We shot in real environments and locations. We filmed during the pandemic in Northern Ireland and England, which was just so beautiful. I think we all felt very lucky to be working together.” Michelle is adamant you don’t have to have played the table top game to appreciate the movie, even though she was a fan of the role-playing adventure as a child.
She said: “This is a story that stands alone as a great fantasy adventure.
“Sure, it has a lot of fun references and surprises for the fans but you don’t need to know anything about D&D to enjoy this. It’s also not a movie about the game or playing it. It’s not Jumanji.
“I played quite a lot of D&D as a teenager. I was a big nerd for all that stuff. That experience was more than enough to give me an appreciation of just how big a deal this movie is and how much it means to the fans. It’s all about imagination and how this world provides no limits to that.”
Michelle, who plays Letty Ortiz in the Fast & Furious franchise, said co-star Vin Diesel is the biggest D&D fan and the movie has got his engine revved up. She said: “Vin is a massive fan. He’s been playing for years. He has a huge closet full of Dungeons and Dragons. He’s a dungeon master. I definitely won’t
be playing D&D with him but he was super-excited when I told him I was going to be doing this and I know he cannot wait see the movie. “I will be back with Vin very soon in Fast X. I can’t tell you much about the movie but I’m super-excited it’s finally coming out. I can’t believe it’s going to be our tenth movie. It’s mindblowing.”
Michelle added: “Stepping out at comic-con in front of thousands of fans is way scarier than facing any monster but the fans have been incredible.
“I think they see that we care and we want to do it right and now I can’t wait for them to experience the movie because it’s amazing.
“I’ve had some weird fan encounters at comic-cons but thankfully not one that stands out. People are really cool with me. They consider me one of them. That’s exactly what I am. I’m a fan too.
“There is so much to this world, so many different characters and locations to explore. I hope we get to do more because I loved this experience.”
I worked a lot with a trainer. It was tough but I kind of enjoyed it. It was pretty full on
MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ ON PREPARING FOR ROLE IN FANTASY BLOCKBUSTER