| Megan Fox | |
|---|---|
Fox at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival in September. |
|
| Born | Megan Denise Fox May 16, 1986 Oak Ridge, Tennessee, US |
| Occupation | Actress, model |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Spouse | Brian Austin Green (m. 2010–present) |
Megan Denise Fox (born May 16, 1986) is an American actress and model. She began her acting career in 2001 with several minor television and film roles, and played a regular role on the Hope & Faith television show. In 2004, she launched her film career with a role in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. In 2007, she was cast as Mikaela Banes, the love interest of Shia LaBeouf's character, in the blockbuster film Transformers, which became her breakout role. Fox reprised her role in the 2009 sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Later in 2009, she starred as the titular lead character in the film Jennifer's Body.
Fox is considered a sex symbol and frequently appears on men's magazine "Hot" lists, including Maxim and FHM.[1][2][3][4][5]
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Fox is of Irish, French and Native American ancestry,[6] and was born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee to Darlene and Franklin Fox. She was raised Roman Catholic and attended Catholic school for 12 years.[7] Fox's parents divorced when she was young and she and her sister[8] were raised by her mother and her stepfather, Tony Tonachio.[9][10][11] She said that the two were "very strict" and that she was not allowed to have a boyfriend[12] or invite friends to her house.[8] She lived with her mother until she made enough money to support herself.[12]
Fox began her training in drama and dance at age five, in Kingston, Tennessee.[13] She attended a dance class at the community center there and was involved in Kingston Elementary School's chorus and the Kingston Clippers swim team. At 10 years of age, after moving to St. Petersburg, Florida, Fox continued her training.[14][15] When she was 13 years old, Fox began modeling after winning several awards at the 1999 American Modeling and Talent Convention in Hilton Head, South Carolina.[16] At age 17, she tested out of school via correspondence in order to move to Los Angeles.[8][12]
Fox has spoken extensively of her time in education; that in middle school she was bullied and picked on and she ate lunch in the bathroom to avoid being "pelted with ketchup packets". She said that the problem was not her looks, but that she had "always gotten along better with boys" and that "rubbed some people the wrong way".[17] Fox also said of high school that she was never popular and that "everyone hated me, and I was a total outcast, my friends were always guys, I have a very aggressive personality, and girls didn’t like me for that. I’ve had only one great girlfriend my whole life".[17] In the same interview, she mentions that she hated school and has never been "a big believer in formal education" and that "the education I was getting seemed irrelevant. So, I was sort of checked out on that part of it".[17]
At 16, Fox made her acting debut in the 2001 film Holiday in the Sun, as spoiled heiress Brianna Wallace and rival of Alex Stewart (Ashley Olsen), which was released direct-to-DVD on November 20, 2001. In the next several years she guest-starred on What I Like About You and Two and a Half Men, as well as being an uncredited extra in Bad Boys II (2003). In 2004, she made her film debut in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen co-starring opposite Lindsay Lohan, playing the supporting role of Carla Santini, a rival of Lola (Lohan). Fox was also cast in a regular role on the ABC sitcom Hope & Faith, in which she portrayed Sydney Shanowski, replacing Nicole Paggi. Fox appeared in seasons 2 to 3, until the show was cancelled in 2006.[18]
In 2007, Fox won the lead female role of Mikaela Banes in the 2007 live-action film Transformers, based on the toy and cartoon saga of the same name. Fox played the love interest of Shia LaBeouf's character Sam Witwicky. Fox was nominated for an MTV Movie Award in the category of "Breakthrough Performance", and was also nominated for three Teen Choice Awards.[19] Fox had signed on for two more Transformers sequels.[18][20] In June 2007, Fox was cast in a minor role in How to Lose Friends & Alienate People, starring alongside Jeff Bridges, Simon Pegg and Kirsten Dunst. She portrayed Sophie Maes, a love interest of Sydney Young (Simon Pegg). The film premiered on October 3, 2008, but was considered a box-office failure.[21][22]
Fox reprised her role as Mikaela Banes in the Transformer sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. There was some controversy surrounding Fox's appearance while filming the sequel of Transformers when Michael Bay, the film's director, ordered the actress to gain 10 pounds.[23] The film was released worldwide on June 24, 2009.[24] Fox was to star in the third installment, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, but was not included because of her statements comparing working under director Bay to working for Hitler (see below). Co-star Shia LaBeouf said, "Criticism is one thing. Then there's public name-calling, which turns into high-school bashing. Which you can't do."[25] Bay similarly amended his previous statements of support of Fox, and told GQ in June that Fox was fired on orders of executive producer Stephen Spielberg.[26]
In between Revenge of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon, Fox had her first lead role playing the title character in Jennifer's Body, written by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody.[27] She played Jennifer Check, a mean-girl cheerleader possessed by a demon who begins to feed off the boys in a Minnesota farming town.[28] The film was released on September 18, 2009,[29] and co-stars Amanda Seyfried and Adam Brody.
In April 2009, Fox began filming Jonah Hex, in which she portrayed Leila, a gun-wielding beauty and Jonah Hex's (Josh Brolin) love interest. The film was released on June 18, 2010 and co-starred Will Arnett;[30] Despite receiving top billing, Fox has described her role in the film as being a cameo.[31] Jonah Hex was universally panned by critics and was a box office bomb in the U.S., having its international distribution cancelled after its poor performance.[32] The film was named the "worst picture of the year by the Houston Film Critics Society.[33] Fox next starred alongside Mickey Rourke in Passion Play. The film received such bad reviews after its screening at the Toronto Film festival that its plans for a conventional theatrical distribution were withheld for a direct-to-video release with only two screens briefly showing the film to fulfill contractual obligations.[34] Mickey Rourke remarked that Passion Play was "terrible. Another terrible movie."[35][36]
In early April 2009, Fox signed on to star as the lead female role in the upcoming 2011 film The Crossing, about a young couple who get caught up in a drug trafficking scheme during their vacation to Mexico.[37] In March 2009, Variety reported that Fox was set to star as the lead role of Aspen Matthews in the film adaption of the comic books Fathom which she will also co-produce with Brian Austin Green.[38] Fathom is currently in pre-production.[39] Fox appeared with Dominic Monaghan in the music video for Eminem and Rihanna's single "Love the Way You Lie".[40]
During an interview with The Times, on the topic of being a role model, Fox stated: "It depends on what your idea of a role model is," and continued with, "If your idea of a role model is somebody who’s gonna preach to your kids that sex before marriage is wrong and cursing is wrong and women should be this and be that, then I’m not a role model. But if you want your girls to feel strong and intelligent and be outspoken and fight for what they think is right, then I want to be that type of role model, yeah."[41] Fox said in the same interview, on the topic of being typecast that: "Getting typecast as what? Attractive? How bad is that?" She feels that it isn't a bad thing to be typecast in this way and considers it to be flattering. She also believes that it gives her an advantage because people will not expect her to be more than simply attractive and when she does give a good performance, people will be surprised.[41] Fox has shown interest in portraying a character less sexualized than that of Mikaela Banes, whom she portrays in the Transformers film series.[42]
Fox said of being a popular media topic that, though she is not on the same level as Jennifer Aniston, Britney Spears, or Lindsay Lohan, she does find it difficult and that there have been times when people have avoided being around her because they do not want to end up in the media's spotlight. "I need to behave in a way and handle myself in a way that will cause people to take me seriously," she said, "[and] you can be sexy and be intelligent and be taken seriously, or you can be sexy and you can be out at clubs every night and not be [taken seriously]" but that she has not gone "completely insane".[42] Fox also said of going from being "relatively unknown" to her current celebrity status that: "I definitely feel ill-prepared; I mean, I don't know if anyone ever sits back and goes, 'Now is the moment that I think I should be a famous celebrity,' – but I definitely feel it's premature. I mean, I was in one movie that people have seen."[42]
Fox has appeared on the covers of many magazines. In 2007, she appeared in Maxim;[43] in 2008, the list had grown to include Cosmo Girl,[44][45] Paw Print,[46] Jack (ITALY),[47] FHM (UK),[48] and GQ.[49][50] In 2009, the list includes, USA Weekend,[51] Esquire,[52] Empire,[53] Maxim,[54] GQ (UK),[55] Entertainment Weekly[56] and ELLE.[12] Fox was ranked No.17 on interview magazines Hollywood faces to watch "Future Stars of Tomorrow", ranked No.16 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2008 list, named No.68 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement, ranked No.18 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2007 list, she was ranked No.1 on Moviefone's 'The 25 Hottest Actors Under 25' in 2008, and was ranked No.2 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2009 list in 2009. FHM readers voted her the "Sexiest Woman in the World" in 2008.[5][57] In 2011, Men's Health named her one of the "100 Hottest Women of All-Time", ranking her at No. 14.[58]
In late July 2009, Fox's overexposure in parts of the media caused several men's websites to boycott her.[59] AOL's man-blog Asylum dubbed August 4, 2009 "A Day Without Megan Fox" with the promise that the site would not mention or feature her on this day; they asked other men's sites to copy this stance, and several (such as AskMen.com, Just a Guy Thing, and Banned in Hollywood) complied. "Listen, we love Megan," Eric Rogell of TheBachelorGuy.com told New York Daily News. "She's responsible for driving more eyeballs to our sites – just by getting photographed walking down the street in a white T-shirt – than any other celeb alive. [But] it's time to give another young actress a shot at the attention."[59] Other sites, however, refused to boycott Fox, with Asylum's sister site Popeater declaring "we're posting things about Megan Fox that aren't even news, just because we know you want it, whether you'll admit it or not"[60] and Coedmagazine calling the boycott a "publicity stunt" and "hypocritical", saying that they were the home of "The Megan Fox Boycott Boycott".[61] The British newspaper The Sun declared August 4 to be "Megan Fox Day", saying that "She deserves a day dedicated to her".[62] In response to the boycott, Fox told magazine Nylon, in a September 2009 interview, that "the media blitz" for Transformers resulted in an over-extension of her welcome in the media. "I was part of a movie that [the studio] wanted to make sure would make $700 million, so they oversaturated the media with their stars," she said.[63] "I don’t want to have people get completely sick of me before I’ve ever even done something legitimate."[63]
On September 11, 2009, an unsigned letter from crew members of Transformers defended Michael Bay against accusations reportedly made by Fox about his on-set behavior, including a comparison with Adolf Hitler. The letter alleges that Fox is unpleasant to work with on set and makes several accusations of ungracious behavior that are at variance with her public persona. Bay defended Fox and has said that he does not "condone" the letter. Anthony Steinhart, a production assistant who worked on Transformers, also came out in her defense, stating that he had never "...witnessed Ms. Fox being rude or inconsiderate of people’s feelings or the work to be done".[64]
Fox has often been compared to actress Angelina Jolie, with the media dubbing her as the "next Angelina Jolie".[65][66] Fox has been compared to Jolie because they each have a "tattoo collection", and status as a "built in sex-symbol".[2][3] Fox commented that the comparisons indicate a lack of creativity on the part of the media, and are simply due to the dark hair and tattoos that she and Jolie have, and that both have been in action movies. There were several unconfirmed rumors that Fox was to replace Jolie in the next Lara Croft film.[67][68] Fox also said of the comparisons that: "I am a brunette with tattoos, I curse and I have made mention of sex before. I joked about it which people find outrageous so they want to constantly compare that to her."[69] Fox remarked, "I'm sure she has no idea who I am. But if I were her, I'd be like, 'Who the fuck is this little bullshit brat who was in Transformers that's going to be the next me?' I don't want to meet her. I'd be embarrassed."[2][70]
Fox has eight known tattoos,[71] including her husband's name "Brian" on her lower hip, a picture of Marilyn Monroe's face on her right forearm, which she is now getting removed,[72][73] and a crescent moon overlapping a five-pointed star above her right ankle.[74] This tattoo is the only known colored tattoo that Fox has.[75]
Fox has been involved with actor Brian Austin Green since 2004, having first met on the set of Hope & Faith when she was 18 and he was 30.[76][77] In 2006, they became engaged, and then broke it off in February 2009. Some time later in 2009, Fox was targeted by a group of fashion-motivated criminals known as "The Bling Ring", who robbed Green's home because she was living with him.[78] Fox and Green were engaged again in June 2010,[77][79] and on June 24, 2010, the two wed in a private ceremony at the Four Seasons Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii.[80][81]
Fox is a fan of comic books, anime, and video games,[17] and her favorite artist is Michael Turner, whose Fathom comic she describes as a longtime obsession.[12] She has two dogs, including a Pomeranian named after Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious.[12] She has stated that she supports the legalization of marijuana, openly admitting to smoking it, and saying that she does not consider it a drug and would be first in line to buy a pack of joints.[82] Additionally, Fox has expressed a distrust of "all boys-slash-men" in general,[83] as well as women in the industry. "I especially don’t trust girls in this industry, because it’s incredibly competitive, and I’m just not interested," she stated.[84]
In September 2008, Fox alluded to being bisexual in an interview with GQ magazine. She said that, when she was 18 years old, she fell in love with and sought to establish a relationship with a female stripper. She used this experience to illustrate her belief that "all humans are born with the ability to be attracted to both sexes" and additionally showed interest in Olivia Wilde.[85][86][87] In May 2009, she confirmed her bisexuality.[88] In the June 2009 issue of ELLE, however, she stated that she somewhat distorted the events of her relationship with the stripper, saying she has given certain male writers "an amped-up version" of her past. "They’re boys; they’re easily toyed with," she said. "I tell stories and have them eating out of my hand. Not all of it is true. In fact, most of it is bullshit."[83] Fox said, "I never said she was my girlfriend! I just said that I loved her, and I did love her. The real story is more sobering. It’s not a sexy, fun-time, fantasy story. But that’s not the story you tell GQ."[83]
Fox developed a fear of flying at the age of 20 and revealed that she listens to Britney Spears songs while flying to overcome the fear.[89][90] She also has brachydactyly ("shortness of the fingers and toes"),[91] and has additionally been open about her insecurities and self-harming, acknowledging that she has low self-esteem:
... I don't want to elaborate. I would never call myself a cutter. Girls go through different phases when they're growing up, when they're miserable and do different things, whether it's an eating disorder or they dabble in cutting. I'm really insecure about everything. I see what I look like, but there are things that I like and things that I dislike. My hair is good. The color of my eyes is good, obviously. I'm too short. But overall, I'm not super excited about the whole thing. I never think I'm worthy of anything... I have a sick feeling of being mocked all the time. I have a lot of self-loathing. Self-loathing doesn't keep me from being happy. But that doesn't mean I don't struggle. I am very vulnerable. But I can be aggressive, hurtful, domineering and selfish, too. I'm emotionally unpredictable and all over the place. I'm a control freak.[92]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Holiday in the Sun | Brianna Wallace | Direct-to-video film |
| 2003 | Bad Boys II | Bikini Kid in Under Waterfall | Uncredited extra[93] |
| 2004 | Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen | Carla Santini | |
| Crimes of Fashion | Candace | Television film | |
| 2007 | Transformers | Mikaela Banes | |
| 2008 | How to Lose Friends & Alienate People | Sophie Maes | |
| 2009 | Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | Mikaela Banes | |
| Jennifer's Body | Jennifer Check | ||
| 2010 | Jonah Hex | Lilah | |
| 2011 | Passion Play | Lily Luster | |
| 2012 | Friends with Kids | Mary Jane | Post-production |
| The Dictator | Cameo | ||
| This Is Forty | Unknown |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | What I Like About You | Shannon | "Like a Virgin (Kinda)" (Season 2, Episode 5) |
| 2004 | Two and a Half Men | Prudence | "Camel Filters and Pheromones" (Season 1, Episode 12) |
| The Help | Cassandra Ridgeway | "Pilot" (Season 1, Episode 1) "Ollie Shares" (Season 1, Episode 2) "Dwyane Gets a Cold" (Season 1, Episode 5) |
|
| Hope & Faith | Sydney Shanowski | Regular role | |
| 2010 | The Buried Life | Herself | "#59: Ask Out the Girl of Your Dreams" (Season 1, Episode 3) |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Love the Way You Lie | The Girlfriend | Eminem video. See the background information. |
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Hope & Faith | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Supporting Young Actress | Nominated |
| 2007 | Transformers | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actress: Action Adventure | |
| Choice Movie: Breakout Female | ||||
| Choice Movie: Liplock | ||||
| National Movie Award | Best Performance by a Female | |||
| 2008 | MTV Movie Award | Breakthrough Performance | ||
| 2009 | None | Teen Choice Award | Choice Female Hottie | Won[94] |
| Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | Choice Summer Movie Star Female | |||
| Scream Award[95] | Best Sci-Fi Actress | |||
| Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (video game) | Spike Video Game Awards | Best Performance by a Human Female | ||
| 2010 | Jennifer's Body and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | 30th Golden Raspberry Awards[96] | Worst Actress Of 2009 | Nominated |
| Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | Worst Screen Couple of 2009 | |||
| Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Movie Actress | |||
| Jennifer's Body | MTV Movie Awards | Best WTF Moment | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Female Hottie | Won | ||
| Choice Movie Actress: Horror/Thriller | ||||
| 2011 | Jonah Hex | Golden Raspberry Award | Worst Actress | Nominated |
| Worst Screen Couple/Ensemble | Nominated |