San Antonio.- Genesis Rodriguez stars opposite Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman in the year’s best comedy, “Identity Thief” in theaters now. (Courtesy photo)
Genesis Rodriguez and I shared a moment.
It was a moment outside of the hustle and bustle of Hollywood to talk about basketball and nail down a nickname for when she gets her shot in the NBA.
Of course we talked about her new movie “Identity Thief” and role as Marisol, a Latina version of Chuck Norris, with an appetite for violence, but her love for basketball is serious. She is a die-hard Miami Heat fan and represents the 305 to the fullest.
But most importantly we established her new nickname as “G-Money.” We threw around other names like “The Mouth from the South,” “The Proven Cuban” and “Queen Genesis” but “G-Money” is a winner—because Rodriguez is indeed money. This was imperative because, despite her height, you never know.
Off the bat, it was clear Rodriguez knows the NBA and respects a great team when she sees one. She weighed in on what the outcome would be if “her” Miami Heat faced the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals and her response was better than a breakdown on ESPN, “The Spurs have such a great record and have a way of basketball to them that people still don’t know how to beat them,” she said. “They are so good. Manu Ginobili is awesome. It is a really tough call. If Miami can break them down defensively I think Miami would have a shot.”
“I’m pretty serious about my basketball,” she added.
She was spot on and straight to the point. She didn’t beat around the bush or make excuses for her team. If her acting career doesn’t pan out she could always be an NBA analyst. For the record, she would be the hottest NBA analyst ever and ratings could skyrocket.
If she could suit up for her Miami Heat in a hypothetical sense or steal the identity of one player, like Melissa McCarthy’s character masters in “Identity Thief,” it would be the team’s best player.
“LeBron James, of course,” she said without hesitation. She also wants to face the NBA’s best competition. “I would want to play against OKC (Oklahoma City Thunder) or the Clippers…but with a healthy Chris Paul,” she added.
However, after her role in “Identity Thief,” I don’t think she will have a problem finding jobs in Hollywood.
Rodriguez comes from a family of beautiful people and siblings who are also in show business. Her latest character, Marisol, is no doubt gorgeous but would kick your butt if you messed with her. You wonder how such a sweet innocent face could be so hardcore but Rodriguez never flinches even when she’s acting across from the outlandishly funny McCarthy and Jason Bateman.
“You have to think of what the character wants because if you start paying attention to what Melissa or Jason where doing you would totally lose it,” she said.
“You only think like the character and my character is pissed off. You start thinking you’re pissed off and need to get somewhere—that’s all you think about really, you can’t do it any other way. If you did they would have to cut because you’d be laughing so much.”
Her character doesn’t laugh at all during the film but you will. “Identity Thief” no doubt is the best comedy so far this year and will having you laughing till the end.
After our talk and helping Rodriguez come up with her nickname “G- Money” and broke down some teams in the NBA it’s clear we shared a moment and might just be friends.
“Identity Thief” is rated R and in theaters now.
Dennis M. Ayotte, Jr. is a reporter for La Prensa de San Antonio. He may be reached at dayotte@laprensasa.com.
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