Megan Fox is said to have passed on a major opportunity nearly 10 years ago, after pushing back on what she viewed as the ‘degrading’ demands sometimes placed on women on screen.
The 39-year-old rose to global fame in the late 2000s, going on to build a career that has included big-budget action movies as well as darker, more offbeat roles.
Early on, especially while playing Mikaela Banes in Transformers, the industry often promoted Fox primarily as a sex symbol, with marketing and camera work frequently focused on her appearance.
Over time, the actor has spoken candidly about feeling boxed in by that image and objectified, explaining that she’s become far more careful about what projects she takes on.
Now a mom-of-four, Fox has also been clear about the kind of content she wants to keep away from her children—particularly anything she wouldn’t want them to associate with her.
In an interview with TIME in 2016, she explained: “There are some good projects I’ve read that are with talented people, talented directors, but the things the women are required to do in the movie are things I can’t have my sons ever know or see.”
Driving home her point, the Jennifer’s Body star added: “There are just certain things boys should never see their mothers do.”
Even so, Fox has also made it clear she doesn’t regret her earlier work, and that she still takes pride in what she’s done throughout her career.
Reflecting on her upbringing, she said: “Where I’m from in Memphis,” she said, “Women are damsels and ladies and they’re gentle or whatever.”
She contrasted that with her own personality, adding: “I was very fiery and no-nonsense,” the superstar added.
And she said she made a conscious effort to establish boundaries and expectations as soon as she entered the industry: “I put that out there instantly in this industry because it’s important for people to understand that I am not a dumb girl, I’m a very clever girl and you’re not going to get anything over on me.”
Fox also spoke about the realities of longevity in entertainment, acknowledging that she doesn’t see Hollywood as a place where women are routinely able to work well into old age.
Looking ahead, she admitted: “I’m trying to figure out what I really want to do with the rest of my life,” she admitted.
Although her net worth is estimated to be between $8 million and $11.5 million, Fox has suggested there was at least one particularly high-profile project she opted not to take, citing explicit material that crossed a personal line.
Without identifying the film, she said: “It [a project she was offered] has very graphic sex scenes, I don’t think my boys could handle that.”
Fox isn’t alone in setting limits when it comes to intimate scenes, especially when family is part of the equation.
Jessica Alba has voiced similar feelings, pointing to how uncomfortable it would be for relatives to watch certain moments on screen.
“I don’t want my grandparents to see my boobs,” she said in a 2014 interview with Glamour UK, “It would be weird at Christmas.”