Michelle Rodriguez's most controversial role

Michelle Rodriguez is best known for playing strong, uncompromising women in action films like “The Fast and the Furious” and “Resident Evil.” However, one of the most unusual and controversial projects of her career was the 2016 thriller “The Assignment.”

The film, originally titled (Re)Assignment, tells the story of Frank Kitchen, a hitman played by Rodriguez, who, after being kidnapped, becomes the victim of a revenge plot by a character played by Sigourney Weaver. After she forces him to undergo sex reassignment surgery, Kitchen wakes up in a completely changed body and sets out on a quest for revenge.

For the role, Rodriguez underwent hours of preparation, including prosthetics and elaborate makeup, to portray the character before and after the transformation.

However, it was the film's treatment of the subject that sparked the most controversy. Transgender activists criticized the film for portraying gender reassignment as punishment and using the experience of transgender people as the basis for a story of revenge. This led to protests and calls for a boycott of the film.

Director Walter Hill, like Rodriguez, defended the film, emphasizing that it should be viewed as a genre action film, not as an attempt to analyze the transgender experience.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Rodriguez dismissed some of the criticism, saying the film was not intended as a psychological or social study.

"I think you could talk about the transgender issue if you were talking about the psychology or the social aspects of the topic. This is not that. This is an action story and we're not trying to be psychologically deep. This is entertainment, people, calm down. I'm on your side," the actress said.

It was this comment that further divided the public. Critics pointed out that even films that belong to the entertainment genre can have serious messages and influence the way the audience perceives certain social topics.

Even though it's been almost ten years since the premiere of "The Assignment," the film is still mentioned as one of the most controversial titles in Michelle Rodriguez's career.