Light spoilers for Netflix’s Neon lie ahead, so read on at your own risk.
Neon – one of the newest releases on Netflix's 2023 TV schedule – features a main cast composed of up-and-coming talents like Tyler Dean Flores and Emma Ferreira. However, the comedy also has a few veterans within its ranks, including Jordana Brewster. Most probably know the seasoned actress from her role as Mia Toretto in the Fast & Furious movies (which we’ve ranked). The person she plays in the new show is a lot different, though. Instead of embodying a heroic woman who’s also a wife and mother, Brewster portrays a shady and somewhat unpredictable individual. It definitely isn’t the first role you’d imagine for her, and one of the series' directors gave us some details on the decision to cast her as such a “surprising” character.
Jordana Brewster plays Gina, a sleek and seemingly well-meaning socialite who offers to become a patron for rising reggaeton singer Santi. While the performer and his friends, Ness and Felix, are initially overjoyed over having her help, they quickly realize her other business dealings may not be all that legitimate. Considering how surprised I was to see Brewster on the show (and playing such a role at that), I had to ask director Oz Rodriguez about her casting. The veteran TV producer explained during our Zoom interview that the showrunners put a lot of thought into who they wanted to play the character. Apparently, part of what played into their decision-making was the desire to hire someone unexpected for the job:
Well, that was definitely a conversation with [Jordana] as far as the producers and the showrunners Shea [Serrano] and Max [Searle] wanted. It’s an important role[,] but [they] also wanted someone that will be surprising, just like the reaction you had. So like, when you know, names were thrown out, when everyone… I don't remember who threw out her name. But as her name came out, I think everybody was excited to approach her. And I don't want to speak for her but obviously, you know her from Fast & Furious. So I was saying like, with the reggaetoneros, this is an opportunity for her to be funny and be goofy and sort of embrace her Latina side. So yeah, that was a really exciting, fun casting.
Make no mistake, the star is impeccable as Mia in the FF franchise, and I’m hoping she gets more time to shine in the long-gestating female-led spinoff, which she’s discussed. However, given the massive size of the stories being told, the character – and the actress herself by default – can feel somewhat limited. But when it comes to Neon, the On Our Way star really gets to flex her acting muscles a bit while acting out the material. Without getting too deep into spoilers, Gina contributes to some of the show’s uneasiest moments, and the Panama City-born star seems to have a lot of fun with that.
The character’s antics are just one piece of the wild journey Santi and his crew embark upon when they decide to move to Miami in an attempt to break into the music industry. During the course of the 2023 TV schedule offering, the trio face their fair share of highs and lows. Oz Rodriguez had to set the tone for the show, as he directed the pilot episode. He managed to do so without worry, though, thanks in part to the lessons he learned from Saturday Night Live and other notable series.
When it came to portraying Gina, Jordana Brewster likely leaned on past acting experiences to help guide her work. She has, after all, done much more than just play one of the Toretto “siblings” alongside Vin Diesel during the past few decades. She’s also been in films like Hooking Up and D.E.B.S., even playing a villain in that latter flick. There’s no telling what might lie ahead for Gina should the show continue, but I’m willing to bet Oz Rodriguez and his team would love to have Brewster reprise the role should the opportunity arise.
The eight-episode first season of Neon is now available for Netflix subscription holders to stream. Coincidentally, that membership will also currently get you access to the first five installments in the Fast & Furious series.
