“This guy that was my love interest was like, ‘I’d never date you in a real life,’ and I was like, ‘What?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, you’re too big for me’ — as in my size. It was one of the only actors that ever made me cry on set...[he was] 23, 24 or 25, [I was 15 years old at the time]. I went bawling to my brother and he was like, ‘What happened?’ And I was like, ‘He told me I was too big.’ And my brother was like, ‘What just happened?’ My brother was so angry. I had to pick it up and go back on set and pretend he was a love interest, and it was really hard…It just makes you realize that there are some really bad people out there and for some reason, he felt the need to say that to me. You have to kind of forgive and not forget really, but it was just like wow. It was jarring. I look back on it and I was 15, which is really, really dark.
I’ve had a younger male lead ostracize me and bring up fake issues just to try and put me in my place, and make things up to the director…things that are crazy, things that I would never do, unprofessional things that would make no sense. I’ve had an actor do that to me. It’s crazy. They have this inferiority issue, and I’m like, ‘You are completely equal to me, you are no different than me. I just happen to be the lead in this movie, and I don’t know why just because you are kind of the smaller character that you’re pushing me into a corner to try and put me down. Little snips that just put you down.”
On the pay gap being only part of the problem:
“Even if you’re being paid equally, it’s the little things, especially if the male lead is bigger than you — you aren’t listened to as much and you take a back seat.”
On still having to fight to get work:
“Now it’s, ‘Oh, you’re too known, your face is in too many things.’ And I’m like, well, if I were unknown, then I would not be known enough...I was told I was too blond and they couldn’t cast two blond girls in the same movie. I was like, ‘Okay, because I’m blond and there’s another blond in the movie, you can’t cast two?’ That’s such a masculine way of looking at things. I deal with it every day. You’ve got to stick to your guns. I always say get me in the room and make me audition and I’ll try and win it and at least I’ll know then that I did my best and I gave my all, but if you just look at me and you say no, then I don’t know what to tell you. But you know, when one door closes, another one opens and that’s the way it is so don’t fight it. I never try and push myself on someone who doesn’t want me for the role.”
Read the full interview at Variety.
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