10 Things You Didn't Know About Michelle Rodriguez

8. Before She Began Filming For The Fast And The Furious In 2000 She Didn't Have A Driving Licence... And Had To Gain One In Order To Perform Car-Chase Sequences

When Rodriguez gained the role of Leticia "Letty" Ortiz in the original "The Fast and the Furious" film in 2000, she did not actually have a driving licence. For a film based on the premise of fast cars and attractive women, this proved to be a bit of a problem... It was particularly a problem because Ortiz is a street-smart, skilled mechanic and driver who loves to hi-jack cars - and drives around in a 1998 Nissan 240SX S14 in the films. Ortiz also features prominently in the car-chase scenes in the original film in the franchise, meaning Rodriguez was forced to quickly learn to drive as the screenplay was being shot. It took her a few months but Rodriguez passed her driving test during the filming process - and even drove during some of the car-chase scenes (although obviously all the dangerous ones involved stunt doubles). Pretty impressive, isn't it?