When Michael Bay gets around to the next Transformers movie (and I expect it will be his next film, a year spent trying to get a ’smaller’ picture off the ground possibly coming to nothing quite in time) there could be a beefier role for Ramon Rodriguez, Revenge of the Fallen’s conspiracy nut Leo Spitz. There’s a piece at the LA Times’ Hero Complex blog today profiling the young actor, who does seem to be having a real growth spurt in his career right now. The story was written by Geoff Boucher who reports that Michael Bay “hinted” to him that TF3 would see Rodriguez step up to a bigger role. More immediately amusing, however, was Rodriguez’ description of his audition for this current Transformers film…

Rodriguez said:

For 90 minutes, he had me jumping, running, diving over the furniture in his office — that was the audition. I was drenched in sweat. He told me, ‘OK, hide behind the desk!’ ‘Now, run over here!’ And man, I was looking in his eyes, and he was enjoying it. He’s got a passion for action. It shows in the movies too.

He’s definitely got a passion for amusing auditions and screentests. You can check out a video of Megan Fox discussing her rather odd initial try-out for Bay in my post about the Revenge of the Fallen press conference from last week.

These screen tests might start to develop a cult following by reputation alone. Here’s hoping they turn up on one of the eventual Transformers DVD or Blu-Ray reissues. I wonder what he had Shia do? What is Shia’s thing? It used to be he was great at being the nervy, twitchy little-brother geek, a la Even Stevens, but as he’s matured I’ve found it hard to see just what he excels at any more. He’s grown out of his niche.

A bigger role for Rodriguez in the next picture could spell less screentime for Megan Fox. I suspect that’s the way both she and Bay would really like it. But Fox dialed down, Rodriguez dialed up - I don’t know how happy the teenage gearheads still lining up for this second picture would be about that particular transformation.