Ambulance star Eiza González recalls the heated on-set argument between her and director Michael Bay that erupted over creative differences. González rose to fame as a singer and actress in her home country of Mexico, but recent years have seen her transition into Hollywood with much success. Her most prominent roles have come in movies like Baby Driver, I Care A Lot, and Godzilla vs. Kong, though those are really only just scratching the surface. González's next high-profile project, Bay's Ambulance, debuts in U.S. theaters on April 8. It has already rolled out in select international territories.
Ambulance stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as brothers who become the targets of a citywide manhunt after they rob a bank. Will (Abdul-Mateen) is just desperate for cash to help his wife, and career criminal Danny (Gyllenhaal) ropes him into stealing $32 million. However, everything goes sideways when law enforcement comes after them hard, and the brothers take over an ambulance with a paramedic (González) and injured police officer (Jackson White) in the back. Ambulance also stars Garret Dillahunt, Keir O'Donnell, and Moses Ingram.
Screen Rant recently got the chance to speak to the cast and crew behind Ambulance, and it was during our conversation with González that the actress brought up a day when she and Bay "went at each other, at our throats." She said it partially stemmed from the pressure she felt in playing a paramedic, leading to a clash over Bay's approach. González said:
[The argument was over] Something I did. I was frustrated because listen, I felt a lot of pressure to bring to life a paramedic that felt real in the time that we're living. First responders have been dedicating their lives fully, forever obviously, but more than ever. It's very transparently obvious what they are bringing to our society. And so I just didn't want to make a joke or cartoon version of who they were.
I really wanted to level up and bring something that would feel proud of. So I was very vocal about certain things that I didn't feel would be right. And then he'd be like, "Just let me do it. Trust me." So we would butt heads a lot, but that's part of the creative process. It's sort of speaking up about what your thoughts are and then finding a common ground.
Afterward, González said they got along perfectly because they felt comfortable discussing their ideas. Though the image of González and Bay actively brawling on the Ambulance set might give the impression they had a strained working relationship, it sounds like neither of them are still smarting from the incident. That it came out of individual passion for the material likely helped smooth things over; at the end of the day, both wanted to make Ambulance to be the best movie it could be. González's collaborative nature must have spoken to Bay in the end, and they were able to eventually meet in the middle.
González's story also speaks to how much work she put into her role as Cam Thompson. Because she was playing a paramedic, she sought to portray this character with respect. On the surface, Ambulance might seem like a standard blow-everything-up Michael Bay movie, but there is clearly some real appreciation for the story going on behind the scenes. González felt so strongly about the project that she got into a massive fight with Bay, which says a lot about her overall dedication. And hey, at least they smoothed things over in the end. No lasting feuds here.
