Megan Fox has a good profile in the current issue of InStyle. She’s promoting the horror-drama ‘Til Death and she’s clearly using the promotion to relaunch herself and reintroduce herself to Hollywood. At 35 years old, Megan is really feeling herself and that’s a nice thing to see. Megan was put through the wringer for years, so much so that she largely stepped away from Hollywood (off-and-on) for the better part of something like eight or nine years. She had three children with Brian Austin Green, she worked occasionally and she mostly stayed out of the press. But there is a Megan Fox Renaissance happening. The thesis of this InStyle piece is sort “Meghan was always a badass feminist and evil men destroyed her career.” Which is not the whole truth about it, but Generation TikTok wants to believe it and Megan is happy to let people believe it, so here we are. You can read the full piece here. Some highlights.
Resurrecting her career: “It is a little bit like being a phoenix, like being resurrected from the ashes. I was brought out and stoned and murdered at one point. And then suddenly everybody’s like, ‘Wait a second. We shouldn’t have done that. Let’s bring her back.'” She went on to say that she was never looking for validation from anyone because she knew she had been wronged. “I had to armor up so much inside myself and I had to be so tough to have to process this really crazy-heavy price for what I thought was doing the right thing.”
She retreated after Jennifer’s Body was savaged by critics: “I had to adopt a belief system that only I was going to take care of myself and be there for myself because I was constantly going to be outcast or rejected.”
She had a series of revelations in South Africa, filming her 2020 film Rogue. “I took all my crystals, and I set up my little temple inside my room. I turned on this massive TV, and Jonah Hex was on, which got panned in the press. It was supposed to be terrible… I had never even watched it because the other actors told me not to. I mean, I got crucified for that movie, just brutalized in the reviews. But something came over me, and I said, f–k it, I’m going to be brave and watch it.” When she did, she realized the criticism was probably overblown and a product of the culture that was looking for her to fail.
The breakthrough: “I had this incredible breakthrough, and I realized that I had been living in a self-imposed prison for so long because I let other people tell me who I was or what I wasn’t. I hid because I was hurt. That night, I stayed up and promised myself that I would never live one more day of my life from fear. I came home, and my whole life changed. I got a divorce and I started working more and doing more things. I ended up meeting Colson, and then literally everything exploded from there.”
Being seen out with Colson, aka Machine Gun Kelly: She’s asked “Where are your kids?” every time she’s seen on a red carpet or the back of Baker’s motorcycle. “Do you ask their dad when he’s out? No, because you don’t expect a dad to be with the kids all the time, but I’m supposed to not be seen and be at home with my kids. They have another parent. I have to leave and sometimes I don’t want them photographed and they don’t come with me. This whole year I’ve been very surprised by how archaic some of the mindsets still are in some people.”
The age gap between them: She is 35, and Baker is 31. “You want to talk about patriarchy? The fact that he’s four years younger than me, and people want to act like I’m dating a younger man. He’s 31, and I’m 35. Granted, he’s lived like he’s 19 his whole life, but he isn’t 19. No one would blink twice if George Clooney was dating someone four years younger. Four years? Go f–k yourself. We would have been in high school together. That’s so ridiculous that women are treated that way.”
She has big hopes. “I should probably start manifesting. I won’t lie, I do want to find a Marvel or a DC character that I’ve always wanted to play, and do one of those. People hate on you as an actor for that because it doesn’t get you the big awards. I don’t give a f–k. Give me an MTV award. I don’t need a f–king BAFTA.”
I actually didn’t know/remember that MGK is 31. I also thought he was in his early 20s and that Megan had a good decade on him. But only four years apart and both of them in their 30s? Yeah, no one cares. It is like she said – he seems a lot younger and he acts a lot younger. But whatever. I’m also enjoying the revival of Megan-in-gossip. She seems much more comfortable in her skin. It’s fun to see her out with MGK and on red carpets, and I hope we continue to see them. BAG can watch the kids. As for the rest of it… as I’ve said before, Megan was treated poorly by the media, by the critics and by Hollywood. But holy hell, she’s really whitewashing her own history and behavior too.
Photos courtesy of InStyle.
She isn’t well. Her boyfriend, BB Gun Kelley isn’t helping.
What is wrong with her, I’m curious?
That’s very vague with nothing to back it up. You have to elaborate.
@WW, Hmmm, Is it a cold? Did MGK fail to bring soup?
Which is part what happened to Megan in the first place
@you know me – i dont know what’s wrong with her – tell me? She was a young woman who didnt mind sharing her thoughts at the time – people killed her livelyhood for it and because she was absolutely stunning. She was supposed to be pretty and shut up. I feel like Meghan was definitely a feminist all along – hollywood was not ready for her, she didnt fit the feminist standard look, she was too loud and critical, and it was just easier for the industry to pull a chrissyteigen on her, not support her, discriminate and kill her. Other women didnt say a word because one down, more chances for them, because true, she was such a beautify girl and she is still. I hope she comes back strong.
“she didnt fit the feminist standard look, she was too loud and critical, and it was just easier for the industry to pull a chrissyteigen on her, not support her, discriminate and kill her. Other women didnt say a word because one down, more chances for them”.
Yeah, there was a lot of that going around over the past 21 years or so with women and underage girls, it seems. It really wasn’t as protective, selfless, or responsible as either side tried to make it out to be.
She has never considered the fact that she just is not a good actress?
I was going to ask that, too. Granted, I’ve only seen 3 things she’s been in – the 2 Transformers and one other that I can’t even remember. The only take away I had was wondering in the 2nd Transformers how she got through a sandstorm with her lip gloss still shiny and perfect.
I don’t think she is particularly good either. And when people keep citing the same movie over and over again as proof of your talent, well that’s not exactly impressive either.
She was really good/funny on New Girl.
She actually was. I was impressed.
She is a lot of fun in supporting roles in Friends With Kids and This is 40. Jennifer’s Body was really good too…
She is cast as the sexy too cool girl, but she is funny and self deprecating in each performance. I wish she was more confident to have let herself alone rather than exaggerate herself through plastic surgery, she has great comedy skills and could really shine as a character actress.
Just my thoughts.
Unpopular opinion – Megan Fox deserves a second shot
I was one of the young teens that was co-opted by “not like the other girls”, pick me nonsense and I unfairly blamed Megan for her own oppression. Michael Bay, Transformers, BAG, etc – those were outside of her.
Jennifer’s Body was wrongly marketed at teen boys and grown men to gawk at Fox and Amanda Seyfried and its actually a brilliant satire against those folks. Its not a surprise it got bad reviews from that crowd. She’s getting a fresh slate from me and I’m Team Fox until she does something to change that.
@Oh_Hey, I’m with you. I’m 35, so I’m the same age as Meghan Fox, and I remember all the Cool Girl nonsense of 15 – 20 years ago. The external and internal misogyny were just exhausting, and it takes years to undo that.
I agree about the second shot.
I mean men get second chances all the time.
All of what you’ve said.
Same here. She’s not such a bad actress, not worse that many others that aren’t vilified like she was for speaking her mind. I think there’s a ton of internalised mysoginy regarding her, just because she’s very good looking and has projected a sexual image. At the same time she seems to be a good mom and she’s been in a long monogamous relationship since she was very young, so it doesn’t check out with that image she got. I actually like a lot what she has to say in most of her interviews. She seems nice, and unapologetic, as she should be, because she was treated badly by the press and the public for no good reason, really. We all know how toxic Michael Bay can be. She reminds me a bit of Angelina Jolie in that sense, only Jolie seems to be a bit more well liked by certain groups of fans, probably because of her humanitarian work.
1000% yes!!! She has not deserved the toxicity that’s been heaped on her head. I hope she does get a Marvel role.
This.
Let’s take someone like Goop. She has a whole oscar but most of her films and performances are clunkers and yet she was/is A list even before GOOP and that “uncoupling” stuff.
Its easy to say someone is good or bad based on material, hence how Goop won that Shakespeare in Love oscar. Its only fair that Megan get some more good material first.
I only just recently watched Jennifer’s Body and it is a underrated. And I haven’t liked anything Amanda Seyfried has been in since Big Love.
I’ve always felt sort of bad for Megan. I figured she had a few years to be a sex bomb and earn that $$ and she was robbed of those years by Spielberg and Bay (and probably BAG) But honestly if she can pull of a real career in her thirties onward, I’ll be really good impressed. Im pulling for her.
I remember when she was the new IT girl,she seemed rather obnoxious even before they decided to blackball her.
I could go either way when it comes to her, but I give her a round of applause for her answer about co-parenting
Did the plastic surgery hinder her career? She was naturally very good-looking but the plastic surgery makes her look a bit artificial. I have the same reaction to Olivia Munn.
She might or might not be a decent actress (who am I to say in this instance), but I feel the plastic surgery could be as much of a hindrance as everything else that stalled her career. I don’t really like looking at artificial-looking people on film, even if they’re perfectly nice (to be honest, she seems nice. But like everyone else who has had something artificially done, I find her face distracting. Unless they’re Nicole Kidman. She’s brilliant enough as an actress that I make an exception for her).
I saw Jennifer’s Body for the first time maybe a year ago, and she was pretty good in it.
I do find it odd that she alone was criticized or felt criticized with those films enough to sit out her career for a bit – Amanda Seyfriend did just fine, as did Josh Brolin, who was the star of Jonah Hex. Was it sexism or something personal against her? Or did she get benched for her comments about Michael Bay? Or was BAG a controlling partner and now she’s freer?
I’m all for her making a comeback if that’s what she wants to do, but the “stoned and murdered” comparison is a bit dramatic.
None of us know anything about BAG, but her boyfriend MGK is a piece of work, and she’s in her thirties and CHOSE him. https://thetab.com/uk/2021/06/11/machine-gun-kelly-tiktok-209561
Personally, I think it was because of all the stupid sh*t she was spouting. I feel she came off like a friggen moron.
As a viewing public of American films, we normalized sexism, transphobia, xenophobia etc ——It’s a new era & let’s admit MF was an early METOO…this is just from reading, I’ve never seen her acting chops other than watching teen ninja turtles cuz my kids LOVE NT.
I think she’d be terrific as some marvel comics figure.
She stood up to Michael Bay because of the overt sexuality in the Transformers film and was slapped down for it. Spielberg then had her fired for a stupid comment she made regarding Bay, yet Laboeuf could get in bar fights, beat women, and delay filming due to drunken driving shenanigans and Spielberg still loved him and still kept hiring him.
Sexist nonsense.
THIS! Shia was Speilberg’s golden boy and could do no wrong in his eyes. Megan is the prime example of how young women get mistreated in Hollywood and how their male counterparts are protected and go on to have meaty roles while women get left behind. It’s slightly better now that we are exposing the abusers (Army Hammer comes to mind but how long did that take??).
I mean what is BAG doing that he can’t be home with the kids lol.
I like her with MGK. I think they look hot together.
Jennifer’s Body was just ok to me. I liked the idea of it angering the misogynist dudebros but the script and pacing was flawed. It reminded me of Ginger Snaps but the latter was a much better movie.
When I was a teen at Megan’s career peak, I got the impression that Megan was this unapproachable popular girl because of the parts she played and how she looked. Hearing her in interviews changed that. She was much cooler than I thought.
Exactly what I said! Jennifer’s Body was like Ginger Snaps in that it wrapped the confusion of puberty/growing up in a horror movie package. Although I did think Jennifer’s Body was good.
People are trying to make 4 years this huge, unnatural age gap? Ridiculous
No one gives a crap about their age difference. It’s THIS that is bothering people, and bothering Megan Fox that she can’t rewrite what happened.
https://thetab.com/uk/2021/06/11/machine-gun-kelly-tiktok-209561
Her PR is working on me. I never thought I would be Team Megan. What can I say, I root for underdogs.
She reminds me of a Jessica Alba type. will fade out after awhile.
She was one of the (very very very few) good things in Jonah Hex.
I’ve always liked her…she has a great sense of humor and she is beautiful. I’m rooting for her too!
Why on earth is she behaving as though she was the next Viola Davis, Helen Mirren or Tatiana Maslany, but just too darn pretty to be given a fair shake?
The woman is a dreadful actress. I mean, she’s perfectly fine playing the same character over and over in Judd Apatow/Seth Cohen movies where she’s “totally smarter than she looks and you can have confidence too, let me show you how to dance!” but let’s not pretend she was ever going to amaze anyone with her acting chops.
+1
This story is more than a month old, LOL. I can’t believe you made an article about something that came out at the beginning of July. Slow day?
If a tree falls in a forest with no witnesses, does it make a sound? If you are going thru a “fuck it” rebellious phase with no witnesses, is it really a rebellious phase? I feel like the only thing that feels off about it is that we are watching somebody who wants us to watch them “not care,” which implies that they actually do care what we think. Been there. I just think that’s what people are picking up on that feels unintentionally insincere.
I think Megan was young and she did say a lot of dumb stuff in her early interviews. She definitely was treated unfairly by Michael bay and Spielberg though. It’s not fair she was fired for speaking out against Bay while Shia, the known abuser, was able to keep his job.