At the special screening of the 2009 cult classic Jennifer's Body at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Saturday, October 25th, Megan Fox, now 39, shared a candid reflection on her journey during filming. The actress, who had just ascended to new heights of fame thanks to her breakout role in 2007's Transformers, recalled a time of immense turmoil and struggle.
"Oh, I don't know that I would give myself advice," Fox said. "I think where I was at that point in my life, so lost, so full of that rage that I had towards how I had been treated in the industry—and how I was dealing with fame and the constant... at that time, before we started filming."
Fox then shared an anecdote from the 2009 premiere of the supernatural horror-comedy, which centers on the friendship between Jennifer Check (Fox) and Needy Lesnicki (Amanda Seyfried). "I just left a premiere for something where I had to go—I'm obligated to go—and I remember the paparazzi were so ruthless back then—the way they would talk to women," she recalled. "And I walked out just to try to get to my car, and they're all shooting. And one guy's like, 'Megan, why are you such a bitch?' And another guy is like, 'Megan, do you think you're overrated? The internet says so,' and I'm just trying to do my job."
"I was asked to be at this premiere. I'm trying to get to my car. And so I had all of this grief and sorrow and also anger and rage that needed a place to go," Fox continued. "And like I said, being able to just have the permission to be unhinged even in between takes or maybe the entire time we were there, that was very cathartic for me."
The star went on to explain how embodying the character of Jennifer allowed her to tap into qualities she couldn't express in her everyday life. "I read the script and I think it just resonated with me because there's something about that, whether it's just perceived or not, I felt like I was being persecuted at that time in my career, and I was struggling a lot with fame and kind of traumatized by fame," Fox said.
"And so I resonated with those deeper layers of... you know, before she becomes a monster, she's just a teenage girl who gets sacrificed for somebody else's gain," the star continued. "And that very much resonated because that's kind of how I got... I came into this industry when I was 19 and made my first big movie, and that, I felt like, was reflecting back these energies that existed inside of myself."
Embodying the now-cult-favorite character gave Fox a place to put those qualities of herself that are not appropriate to express every day but are still there. "That was very healing for me because I was really struggling at that time," Fox said later. "And if I had been able to warn myself or give myself advice or have any sort of grounding or clarity, I don't think you would've gotten the performance that you got."
The story of Jennifer's Body may continue soon, as screenwriter Diablo Cody teased last year. While chatting about her latest film Lisa Frankenstein, the Oscar-winning writer said she's hopeful that a reboot or sequel to the beloved teen horror "will happen" soon. Star Seyfried has also teased a sequel, saying she's "looking forward to the sequel" and is game to reprise her role as Needy.
