Whether you’re a seasoned adventurer or a newbie to dungeons & dragons, you need to give Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves a chance. Right off the bat, the film has a truly accessible story that anyone can appreciate and have a damn good time watching. But it also has a star-studded cast that includes the likes of Chris Pine, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Hugh Grant, and the focus of this interview, the talented Michelle Rodriguez.
Remezcla got a chance to interview Michelle Rodriguez for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Best known for the Fast & Furious franchise, we got talking about what makes this project different, what it was like playing the fearsome barbarian Holga, how newbies can get into the dungeons & dragons’ life, and maybe even a little bit about her co-star Chris Pine, who plays her found family Edgin.
Stepping into a role like Holga isn’t unfamiliar territory for Rodriguez. She’s always played kickass characters who know how to get in and out of a brawl or car chase. But this time she’s in a magical world with owlbears, mages, and dragons. And playing a barbarian means that she has to dress the part. When asked about what it was like to put it on the leather, fur, and armor of Holga, Rodriguez was quick to geek out about it.
“I gotta say it was a really beautiful outfit that Penny [Rose] made,” Rodriguez said about the complex outfit that included a chest guard, bracers, tassets, fur wrapped boots by the British costume designer on the film. But there was one part that was frustrating: the bustier. “You had to tie it together and so it took me seven minutes to go use the bathroom. It looks great but I was like, “How am I going to fight with this?”
Please note that Rodriguez said this while pretending to gasp for air, moving her hands around like she was holding two weapons, and laughing while telling this story. She went on to say that “we eventually figured it out and we added a zipper.” This really is the true miracle of this movie and something everyone should incorporate into their battle outfits from here on out.
From there we used the opportunity to ask Rodriguez about what the kid version of herself would think about seeing her in this Holga outfit that looks fearsome and shows that girls like us, well, we can throw it down with the best of them. Without a doubt, Rodriguez knew that kid Michelle would love the life she’s leading now. “Kid me would be all about it. Kid me is stoked. Actually, kid me is jumping up and down right now.”
Talking about the best, Rodriguez got a chance to work with Chris Pine in this movie, arguably the best Chris. We will be taking no comments on this stance but will say that when asked about co-star Pine being the best Chris, Rodriguez answered with, “Am I talking to a Pine Nut?” leading us on a spiral on Youtube that resulted in “Chris Pine serenades a pine nut” and “Cumberbitches vs Pine Nuts.” It’s what Pine fans are called. Look it up. You won’t regret it.
But on a serious note, Rodriguez loved working with Pine and said, “Dude, he’s the bomb, man. What a cool cat.” Throughout Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, their characters keep each other grounded and are each other’s family from start to end. So basically, from an acting perspective, they spent tons of time together. “He’s awesome with words, let me tell you. He’s always inspiring to watch. What he does with a monologue is cool.”
As the Dungeons & Dragons story progresses others come in and join their adventure, eventually becoming an even bigger found family. And Rodriguez loved working with all the actors who played them. “It’s really hard to get five people in a room who are so different, couldn’t be more different, and actually get on and complement each other,” Rodriguez said, talking about herself, Pine, Page, Smith, and Lillis. “It’s hard to do. It’s like alchemy. It’s not easy.”
By the end of our conversation with Rodriguez, and after watching the movie, we had to admit that as newbies ourselves, we didn’t know where to start with dungeons & dragons. But we want to give it a try. Rodriguez was ready with advice on where to start. First off, “Don’t be daunted by it. Start small. Start with the character sheet in front of you, and then from there you work yourself out.”
Then it’s all about community. Dungeons & Dragons is a game that brings all sorts of people together and those people want to teach others and spread the joy of this world-building game. And for Rodriguez, it’s about “meeting someone who is willing, who’s good at being a dungeon master” to teach you what you need to know and bring you into a community that has been creating worlds, going on adventures, and saving the day since 1974.
As for what’s next for Rodriguez, she’s hoping to sit down and play a game of dungeons & dragons with her Fast & Furious co-star Vin Diesel, who is a dungeon master himself. “I’m surprised that I’ve never played with him,” Rodriguez revealed to Remezcla, “But now that we have…that my godchildren, his children, are of age, I think it’d be awesome to get together and throw up a game.”
We hope that Michelle Rodriguez does just that and manages to bring together her Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves family with that of her Fast & Furious family, who are on the cusp of releasing Fast X. Because we really need to know how she, Rita Moreno, and the rest of that star-studded cast would do as well.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is now playing in theaters.
