Megan Fox reveals ‘Jennifer’s Body’ era was ‘struggling’

Megan Fox is opening up about how filming Jennifer’s Body became a deeply emotional experience during one of the most difficult periods of her life.

At a special screening of the 2009 cult classic in Los Angeles on Oct. 25, the actress, now 39, reflected on the mindset she was in at the time. 

Fresh off her breakout success with Transformers in 2007, Fox said she was struggling with fame and the intense scrutiny that came with it.

“Oh, I don't know that I would give myself advice,” Fox admitted when asked what she would tell her younger self before filming the movie. 

“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.”

The actress recalled how harshly she was treated by paparazzi back then, sharing a moment that still stands out in her memory. 

“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 said. 

“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,” she 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.”

Fox explained that she saw herself reflected in her character, Jennifer Check, a teenage girl who becomes a monster after being sacrificed for someone else’s gain.

“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,” she 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,” Fox added. 

“And that very much resonated because that's kind of how I got... 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.”

Playing Jennifer, she said, gave her a safe outlet for emotions she couldn’t express elsewhere. 

“It also gave me a place to put those qualities of myself that are really unhinged, that are not appropriate to express every day of your life, but are still there nonetheless,” she said. 

“And so there was something so fun about getting to tap into that darker feminine energy that no one really wants to allow.”

“That was very healing for me,” Fox reflected. 

“Because I was really struggling at that time. 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.”

Fifteen years later, Jennifer’s Body continues to resonate with audiences, and Fox’s reflections reveal just how personal the role truly was for her.