Editor's Note: The following contains Fast X spoilers.

Watching Fast X raises the question...how many actors are too many actors for a single blockbuster movie? For the Fast & Furious franchise, one that regularly uses popular actors as a marketing gimmick to lure in audiences, this question would be an easy one to answer. And Fast X, the latest addition to the ever-flourishing franchise, makes it just easier. The films in the franchise have made it their habit to add more actors and characters, much to the fascination and dismay of fans who witness some great actors playing inconsequential roles. With Jason Momoa, Daniela Melchior, and Alan Ritchson, Fast X has maintained the franchise's streak of expanding its cast with every new film. Without question, the franchise also maintains its streak of not doing justice to the characters and the actors who decide to join the Fast and Furious fold, apart from Momoa, thankfully. But among the latest entrants, Brie Larson's entry as the daughter of Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell), Tess, feels the most underutilized given the circumstances under which the character is introduced to the world of Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family.

Who Does Brie Larson Play in 'Fast X'?

Brie Larson as Tess in Fast X
Image via Universal Pictures

In Fast X, Brie Larson's Tess emerges in the scene after the chaos created by Dante in Rome had left Dom and his team searching for refuge. Little Mr. Nobody's involvement with Dom and his team leaves him out of commission post the action in Rome, and the vacuum created by his absence is filled by Alan Ritchson's Aimes, the new leader of the agency who turns out to be Dante's ally in the climax. With her father and her partner both out of the picture and the reign of the agency falling into the hands of Aimes, Larson's character is presented with a rough terrain to navigate.

Tess' rogue status within the agency and her obvious affection for Toretto and his family, who were allies of her father, all contribute to the precariousness of the situation Larson must tackle through her character. At first, Tess even appears determined to leave an impact, only to find out that she just happens to be a peripheral character in this story. Even with enough reason to play a significant part in the events of Fast X, Larson's character is forced to be sidelined as the crowded world of the Fast and Furious franchise rarely allows for some well-deserved attention to fall into the lap of other characters existing within it. Unfortunately, Brie Larson's acting talent falls victim to this underutilization of Tess as a character.

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Brie Larson's Character in 'Fast X' Has Potential

To be fair, Brie Larson does not leave the landscape without leaving any impact. To start off, Tess' most significant contribution comes in the form of leading Dominic Toretto to Dante in Rio with the help of God's Eye, which she managed to take off the hands of the agency. At the request of Dominic, she also assists with Letty's (Michelle Rodriguez) eventual escape from the hands of the agency - something Letty manages to do with her new accidental friend and former enemy, Cipher (Charlize Theron). Through these minor contributions, Tess provides the impetus for the story to move forward just so that it could reach its eventual climax. In her final appearance in Fast X, she tries to foil Dante's attempt at intercepting the agency's convoy while Dom is being taken away by Aimes. Dante threatens to kill Alena's sister, Isabel Nevel, played by fellow new entrant, Daniela Melchoir. Although Tess does divert Dante's attention for a while with her gun and her attitude, she does not end up really affecting the course of the story, apart from handing over the God's Eye to Dante and putting Dom's son Brian Jr. in danger.

Eventually, Brie Larson's character Tess ends up achieving very little apart from facilitating the journey of the central characters of the film. Near the final moments of her appearance in the film, Tess gets a moment to make her father proud, despite the fact that she just handed Dom's enemy the device that could lead him to his son. But even when making her exit, along with Isabela, Brie Larson's character Tess leaves with a face of a character who's determined to achieve more. The reality, however, remains that Tess could have achieved more, but Fast X is too crowded to give Brie Larson's character any more headroom to explore her journey, at least in this movie. Maybe, in one of the many rumored spin-offs it will become clear why Tess was occupied with embroiling herself in Dom and Dante's conflict.

Brie Larson also gets a chunk of the action, just like Michelle Rodriquez and Charlize Theron do, in an attempt to make it worthwhile for the actors to still be a part of the film. However, for a character who has lost her father and her partner in the ensuing chaos, Larson's Tess remains a nobody in the overall scheme of events. It's possible that Larson's character may return with vengeance to assist Dom in his attempts at saving his family and taking down Dante. But for now, Larson only plays second fiddle to other mainstays of the franchise.

'Fast X' Features Four Academy Award Winners

Helen Mirren as Queenie talking to Dom in Fast X
Image via Universal 

Apart from Brie Larson, Fast X features three more Oscar winners in its cast list - Charlize Theron, Rita Moreno, and Helen Mirren - who all end up getting varying degrees of attention from the makers, but all without getting a big enough bite of the meatier part of the story. After playing the antagonist in The Fate of the Furious, Theron returns to her role but only for a trophy action sequence with Rodriguez to make the movie worth her time and talent. Rita Moreno's inclusion as Toretto Abuelita fails to serve any purpose apart from adding a new face to the dinner table at the Toretto household. Thankfully, she does get to talk a thing or two about "family". On the other hand, Helen Mirren's character exists in Fast X merely to keep her memory alive as a character and subsequently, provide the motivation for Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) to be lured away, from the central action with Dante as Shaw leaves to save his mother threatened by Jason Momoa's sociopathic villain.

The treatment Brie Larson's character receives in Fast X is a consequence of the larger underlying problem that continues to plague the Fast and Furious franchise. Given the way the size of the cast has grown, it's inevitable that the franchise is too crowded for anyone to have significant stakes, apart from the chosen few. With characters expected to be dead returning and new characters being added all the time, Fast X is not only officially too crowded, but it's also too thin in terms of story to make appearances worth any of its actors' time. The box office success of the recent installment makes it a tough choice to opt out of being a part of the successful franchise, no matter how small. After all, it is never too late to be a part of the family!

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