Michelle Rodriguez And Charlize Theron Shot Their Fast X Fight Without A Director
After ten films in the Fast & Furious series, an eleventh immediately nigh, and a twelfth on the docket, one might see some themes beginning to emerge. Guys, I think these movies might be about family.
"Fast X," due in theaters on May 19, promises to be the largest yet, a pattern that this series has followed since its first chapter in 2001. With the "Fast X" budget rising to $340 million, the tenth installment in the franchise will unite no fewer than 17 characters, and sport a villain (Jason Momoa) seeking revenge for his murdered father, the villain of "Fast Five." Judging by the "Fast X" trailer, all the series' usually enjoyable absurdities appear to be intact, including a trek around the globe and a general hatred of the laws of physics. One can be assured this film will be just as goofy and entertaining as the last few have been.
Although, there is some trepidation in the mix. Director Justin Lin, who previously directed the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and ninth films in the series, reportedly walked away from directing "Fast X" after only a few days on the job. The reason cited was creative differences, and he eventually agreed to remain on the production as a producer. His quitting, however, left the production in a bit of a lurch, and Universal had to scramble to find a replacement. Ultimately Louis Leterrier ("The Incredible Hulk," "Now You See Me," "The Brothers Grimsby") stepped in, but for at least a few days of shooting, "Fast X" didn't have a director.
This absence didn't prevent stars Michelle Rodriguez and Charlize Theron from wailing on each other, though. According to a new interview with Vanity Fair, the actresses filmed a key fight scene with only second-unit directors present.
Round 1...
The fight in question, glimpsed in the film's trailer, sees Rodriguez's character Letty and Theron's villainous Cipher waking up in a high-tech Frankenstein lap, each lying down on neighboring steel operating tables. They see one another, recognize each other, and immediately spring on one another, eager to do violence. The larger context of the scene will have to be discovered after the film is released.
According to the Vanity Fair article, there was no director on set for this scene. While capable second-unit directors may be present for action sequences or long, establishing shots, typically a principal director is going to be present for dialogue scenes and close-ups of actors. While this may seem atypical, Rodriguez chose to see it as an opportunity for punk violence. Why play with a net when you can freewheel? It seems that she and Theron were so well rehearsed, and both perfectly willing, that they simply filmed their fight scene themselves. Rodriguez even made a cute reference to the film that won Theron her Best Actress Academy Award. In her words:
"Can I just tell you — no pun intended, but Charlize is a monster. [...] We shot our fight sequence with no director. Bro, like, hands down, drop mic, we nailed it. We were there, we don't need [a director], let's do this."
That scene, it seems, kept production relatively on schedule while Leterrier was hired and brought up to speed. Rodriguez was careful to credit Theron for her willingness to film and fight as well, saying, "We kept that train running until Louie came in and took over. [...] And [Charlize] is a consummate professional, sharp elbows, her work ethic is beyond."
...Fight!
Leterrier, in speaking with Esquire Middle East, claimed that he received the call from Universal, and was on set directing only four days later. He also hurriedly re-wrote the entire film's third act, saying:
"I read the script four times on the plane, and I said I had some ideas, and they said, 'Great, because the whole third act is changing. Can you rewrite it tonight?' [...] I was literally on no sleep. I'd been on no sleep for days."
Leterrier likened the experience to rebuilding an airplane while it was already flying, something that sounds like a scene from a Furious movie.
Given how loopy the Fast & Furious movies tend to be, it's possible that extreme fatigue can only help matters. Lest one assume that a sudden, massive, last-minute rewrite is bad for a film's production, know that these kinds of tweaks, re-writes, edits, and re-shoots are very common during big-budget Hollywood blockbusters. The screenplay for "Fast X" is credited to Lin, Zach Dean ("The Tomorrow War") and Dan Mazeau ("Wrath of the Titans"), and one can also rest assured that at least a dozen additional screenwriters brushed up the script and punched up the dialogue.
While having no director for four days is certainly not the preferred way to make a film, it sounds like the cast and the replacement director were equal to making the film as solidly as possible. Chaos behind the scenes doesn't always make for a chaotic film. But, once again, maybe chaos is preferred. After all, chaos is family.