Life in the Fast & Furious lane has been exciting for Michelle Rodriguez, but now that she’s a little older and a little wiser, she’s looking to slow things down a bit. Steaming up the summer cover of Cosmopolitan for Latinas in a neon-green bandage dress, the 34-year-old actress says she plans to take a break from her acting career to go off in pursuit of her real dream — writing screenplays.
“The truth is, I’m about to say goodbye to acting for a minute and move behind the camera,” the Fast & Furious 6 star tells the magazine. “I got into this business to write. I’ve waited 13 years to actually do it. You know how painful that is? It’s very painful. But, like, now I’m ready, so that means I have to do the cutoff. I’ll go into the mountains, and bye-bye everybody.”
“I’m a Cancer,” she adds. “It’s in my nature to hide.”
Fame has not always been kind to Rodriguez. At times in the past, she was more famous for her legal issues than for her work, which includes the Fast & Furious franchise, the Resident Evil franchise, and ABC’s hit TV series Lost. Between 2003 and 2006, she racked up numerous traffic violations, including a hit-and-run, driving with a suspended license, and driving under the influence. Then, in 2007, she violated her probation and was sentenced to 180 days of jail time. (She was released after just 18 days due to overcrowding.)
“I had some bad moments. I partied hard. The world knew it,” she admits to Cosmopolitan. “I feel like my growth is a progression…I go forward, and I’ve had times when I go back. Just last year I had a time where I had a bad stretch. I rebel against everything, including myself. I’m like, ‘Oh no, lemme do something f–ked up now.’ But then I’m like, ‘Okay, what am I doing to myself?'”
Rodriguez also opens up to the magazine about her love life — or, rather, her lack thereof one. “I’m attracted to manly men,” she explains. “I can’t do metrosexuals who get their nails done more than me. Which is why, living in L.A. for eight years, you can’t blame me for not having a partner!”
If and when she does meet someone, though, she has more than a few tricks up her sleeve to win him over. “I can make anything sexy,” she says of her personal style. “I’ll wear a leather jacket and nothing underneath!”
