Michelle Rodriguez drew on her own childhood experience for her new movie about bullying.
Michelle Rodriguez
The actress plays the teacher of a bullied young boy in 'Milton's Secret' and admitted she could relate to the victim as she was also bullied when she was a child.
She told The Hollywood Reporter: "I was bullied as a kid, but I dealt with it a lot differently because I was at a different level growing up in Jersey City. If you didn't adapt, you die, or parts of your soul would be crushed. People were just really mean in Jersey City. I had to learn to fight really early."
Michelle previously revealed she felt it was an important tale to tell as she herself has learned how hurtful words can be as she's gotten older.
She said: "I'm more sensitive now because I've always been a very tomboyish... I just never gave a f**k about words.
"Now I understand that I have to respect words and words are powerful and they are dangerous and they hurt people."
The movie is based on the book by Eckhart Tolle and Robert S. Friedman and also stars David Sutcliffe, Mia Kirshner and Hays Wellford.
It was directed by Barnet Bain.
Meanwhile, Michelle recently revealed she will quit the 'Fast and Furious' franchise if more female cast members aren't brought in.
The 38-year-old actress has played Letty since the saga's inception but having Charlize Theron and Dame Helen Mirren on set for latest outing 'Fast 8' only confirmed her belief that the movies - which also star the likes of Vin Diesel, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Jason Statham, Scott Eastwood and Tyrese Gibson - need more "feminine energy".
She said: "In order for me to be a part of the franchise in the future, they need to up the ante on the females.
"I mean, it's like a sausage factory in this thing.
"I just need some more feminine energy. We need some more women on the good side."
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