Michelle's time in Dominican had endowed her with fluency in Spanish as well as a strong sense of moral virtue, the influence of a grandmother who was a devout Jehovah's Witness. Nevertheless, this spiritual stability failed to translate into Michelle's personal life, who, by age 17, had been kicked out of six schools before giving up on the education system altogether.
Thrust into the working life somewhat prematurely, Michelle began her work in the entertainment business as an extra. She appeared, albeit marginally, in a number of major feature films, including Spike Lee's Summer of Sam and 1999's Cradle Will Rock. Well-versed in the workings of the industry by the age of 20, Michelle went for her first professional audition, one which, despite its surface appearances, went marvelously smoothly.
While showing up hours late and giving the casting directors attitude would normally be considered two surefire ways to not get a job, in this instance, they worked in Michelle's favor, taken as they were reflections of character traits well-suited to the role in question. Michelle was chosen over 350 other applicants, and immediately began preparing to take on the leading part of Diana Guzman in Girlfight.
Given the nature of her role as a delinquent street fighter who turns to boxing, Michelle's preparations for the film were rather extensive. She took acting courses, but the bulk of her time was spent learning to box at Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn, New York. Her training, spread out over four and a half months, was as intense as would be expected, involving two and a half mile runs at dawn and performing sit-ups under the weight of 20-pound sandbags. Yet for all its intensity, Michelle's time at Gleason's Gym was well-spent: not only was she thoroughly prepped for her role, but her boxing skills had developed to such an extent that her trainers tried to persuade her to go professional.
Girlfight debuted at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, where it was the object of immediate acclaim. The film was a shared recipient of the festival's Grand Jury Prize, and its success was not lost on its leading star. Michelle garnered a host of awards for her performance in the indie film, including the Best Actress Award at the Deauville Festival of American Cinema, the Female Breakthrough Performance Award from the Las Vegas Film Critics Society and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Breakthrough Performance.
Michelle's second ever professional audition also resulted in a role, this time opposite Vin Diesel and Jordana Brewster in the 2001 summer blockbuster hit, The Fast and the Furious. That same year, she was cast alongside Danny Glover and Pam Grier in the made-for-cable Spike Lee production 3 A.M. In 2002, Michelle played an elite zombie-killing commando in the film adaptation of the video game, Resident Evil.
Along with the film reviews, Michelle has found herself in the gossip columns on a number of occasions in past years. A rumored romance with leading man Vin Diesel drew a great deal of attention in 2001, as did assault allegations from a roommate in the spring of 2002.
Michelle can next add a starring role in the surfing drama, Blue Crush to her resume, and upcoming films include S.W.A.T.
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