Megan Fox had a tough time "struggling with a lot of fame" during the time before Jennifer's Body (2009) was released. The actor, who had her breakout role in Transformers (2007) which propelled her to fame, recalled her experience with "ruthless" paparazzi and how filming the horror film provided her a much-needed catharsis.
Talking to People after a special screening of Jennifer's Body, she said that she was "so lost, so full of that rage that I had towards how I had been treated in the industry." She expressed her disappointment and anger upon dealing with paparazzi’s misogynistic treatment during the time. "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 ....?' 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."
She continued, "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,” adding that the film gave her “permission to be unhinged even in between takes or maybe the entire time we were there, that was very cathartic for me."
Fox said she was able to channel a "darker feminine energy that no one really wants to allow" and remembered how she resonated with the story and her character Jennifer Check, a demonically possessed high school student who kills her male classmates and devours their flesh in order to survive, after being sacrificed by a local indie rock band.
"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," she said.
"And so I resonated with those deeper layers of...before she becomes a monster, she’s just a teenage girl who gets sacrificed for somebody else’s gain. And that very much resonated because that’s kind of how I came into this industry. I think I was 19 when I made my first big movie, and that, I felt like, was reflecting back these energies that existed inside of myself."
She concluded, noting the film was akin to "healing" for her. "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," she added.
Directed by Karyn Kusama and written by Diablo Cody, Jennifer's Body also starred Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, JK Simmons, Amy Sedaris, and Adam Brody in key roles. Jennifer's friendship with Needy (Amanda Seyfried) takes a horrific turn following her murderous rampage with Needy desperate to end it.
