You're in town to spin the decks at Cirque Du Soir in Dubai and Etoile in Abu Dhabi. When did you start DJing and what music do you like to mix?
"I started about three years ago and I like my house music, but for the most part I like playing for mature crowds so that I can go all the way back to the 1930s then through the 1960s, 1970 and 1980s - then kick it into house, hip-hop and R&B. I like to mix it up, it's pretty eclectic. But as far as Abu Dhabi's playlist, I'll be sticking to straight house because that's what people want."
What film projects are you working on right now?
"The Fast and Furious franchise - they want to shoot something for the new release on Memorial Day weekend 2013, so I'll be doing that this summer. Most likely in Europe somewhere, not sure exactly where until the script is finalised. And I also have Machete Kills Again with director Robert Rodriguez who is always fun to work with and we'll be shooting that later this month."
Having played many tomboy, tough-girl roles in films like Girlfight, The Fast and the Furious and Battle: Los Angeles - is that the role you feel suits you best as an actress and do you mind being typecast?
"I typecast myself, really. I did it on purpose, as I felt there was a need for a certain type of woman that wasn't being represented - the kind of woman that takes her own initiative. The sad part is that she had to emulate men in order to really be assertive and step into these more powerful positions and gain that independence. And that's changing so much now that I don't think we need that character I've been playing for the past 13 years anymore. So, hopefully, I'll have some time to broaden my horizons before time is up on my acting career [laughs]. So I'm kinda looking at different options at the moment. But as of now, Hollywood is not taking too many chances on new things that haven't been already proven with either a hit book or a franchise that's on its part seven or eight."
How are you enjoying your time in the UAE?
"It's my second trip out here. I came about a year and a half ago to visit my friend and it was pretty insane then. I think there are probably about 50 new buildings since the last time I came down. It's very fresh and very new. It feels to me a lot like Vegas in many ways."
What do you tell people back home in the US when they ask about your trips to the region?
"It's amazing because this place is a giant dichotomy between wealth, opportunity and the past. It's interesting because there's a capitalistic aura about the city - it was basically given its birth through capitalism - but it has this kind of shadow over it that still pays respect to the past. But I don't really know enough about it to really have an opinion so what I'll tell everyone who asks me is that I'm intrigued every time I go!"
Michelle Rodriguez will appear at Etoile nightclub in the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi tonight. Doors open at 11:30pm and entry is free before 1am. For details, call 02 690 8960.
[ rduane@thenational.ae ]
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