Two years ago, It looked as though the movie world was about to knock Michelle Rodriguez out of the ring. The would-be actress was living with her mom in Jersey City, N.J., and laboring as an extra in movies like Summer of Sam; the thankless, anonymous work was wearing her out. Then she saw an ad in Back Stage for a Latina actress to portray a boxer in a new film. Rodriguez didn't box and had never auditioned for a speaking role in a movie before, but the ad intrigued her. "I thought, If I'm going to quit, I might as well give it a shot before I quit," Rodriguez says. "If you don't play the lottery, you'll never win."
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