Whether you’re a fan of Megan Fox or not, there’s no denying that she had a seriously unwarranted reputation in the early ‘000s.
She was quickly painted as a sex symbol, and therefore (according to some ), lacked depth, talent, and intellect.
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While that was far from true, it still took a toll on Megan’s morale and she has finally opened up about it in an interview with Refinery29 .
If you take a look back on Megan Fox’s early career, it’s painfully obvious that she was marketed toward young men as a sex symbol.
She could have very well been the most talented actress of all time, but at any rate, she was dismissed for being beautiful and nothing more .
Nowadays, at the age of 34, and three kids later, Megan has been able to undergo personal reform.
Amid her shiny, new relationship with Machine Gun Kelly, it seems that she is finally being seen for more than just a pretty face.
But she recently admitted in an interview with Refinery29 that the relentless pigeonholing she underwent in the beginning of her career still stings.
“I started getting really angry,” she recalled , explaining that she let the unjustified criticisms over her acting abilities get under her skin.
“I was like, ‘[expletive] that!,'” she said.
“Why did I live for a decade thinking that I was shit at something when I was actually pretty decent at it?”
This eventually led to her realization that she had started believing what others thought of her and not what was true.
One of Megan’s more recent films, *Rogue* (filmed prior to her interview), is a great example of how her career hit a much-deserved turning point.
The film’s creator, M.J. Bassett, explained how she was determined to paint Megan with a different brush — one that could potentially change her professional identity.
“[I wanted] to make Megan credible, rather than this sex object that’s she so frequently used for by male filmmakers,” she said.
“I said , There’s no romance in here, you’re not wearing skimpy T-shirts or short-shorts.”
“You’re carrying full battle rattle, and I’m going to expect you to get dirty and bruised,” she went on.
“She was quite excited by that, to be honest .”
Being a trans woman herself, M.J was able to easily empathize with Megan’s struggle of being misrepresented.
“I perceived a change in Megan as we shot in these tough conditions,” she explained.
“I hope we made her see herself differently, at the heart of the narrative is the notion that a lioness is doing exactly what she has to do to protect the things that are most important to her .”
But thankfully, Megan was finally able to come to this realization on her own.
“That led to this realization that I’d been in a self-imposed prison for so much of my life,” Megan told Refinery29 .
“I’m not living my life with fear anymore,” she continued.
“I’m changing everything that’s not right and moving forward with passion and confidence, and living with excitement for my life. ”
Now that fans have started reevaluating Megan and her career, she was asked if she appreciates it or thinks it’s a lost cause.
“I think there’s always a little bit of that of course. At the time, I would have appreciated some support,” she replied.
“I was just stranded in open water on my own for so long. However, that built up so much strength .”
“To have to go through a challenge like that, the resiliency that I have and the ability to survive really negative things with no support from outside forces made me a better person.”
“So, I don’t regret it,” she went on .
“Of course I look back and think — it would have been nice if any of you had seen this at that time.”
“That there was a bandwagon of absolute toxicity being spewed at me for years,” she said .
“But I appreciate the reversal of it,” she admitted.
She explained that the world is slowly evolving and becoming more accepting of new ideas — a better place for her, and a movie like Rogue .
So this is obviously amazing for her.
“The culture is changing and society is changing, and a movie like [_Rogue_] now has a place to shine and be appreciated,” she said.
Let us know what you think of Megan Fox’s latest interview with Refinery29 in the comments below!
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