I enjoyed the latest chapter in the “Fast and the Furious” series quite a bit, and part of what’s finally won me over wholeheartedly is just how earnestly they handle all of the family stuff in the film.
Jordana Brewster plays Mia, the sister of Dominic Toretto, who is now married to Brian O’Conner, and it’s because of her that the two guys, enemies in the first film, are now brothers in crime. She isn’t involved in every major action sequence in the film, but she does play a crucial role, and towards the end of the movie, she gets a chance to get back into the thick of things.
Brewster looks like a 21st century Ali McGraw, and she is the necessary link between the characters. The clip you see at the start of this interview is an important moment in the movie, and it speaks to the way Justin Lin and Chris Morgan have approached these characters. Mia may have asked Brian to give up the life of crime, but she also knows that they are all stronger as a team.
To some degree, the size of her role in the film was also mandated because she was working on the TV series “Dallas” at the same time that she was making this film. They also have to service a ton of characters at this point, and she talks about juggling all of that in the series.
She speaks a bit about saying goodbye to Justin Lin, at least for this series, and she talks about the way her driving skills have developed over the years. Finally, she speaks about her relationship off-screen with Paul Walker and how that informs the chemistry they have in the films.
It’s pretty clear that all of the people in these films know what a special experience they’re having, and Brewster seems like as good a spokesperson as the series could have at this point.
“Furious Six” opens everywhere on Friday.