Megan Fox’s 2015 Face covers the new issue of Harper’s Bazaar Arabia. I actually have to give her some credit: she doesn’t look drastically different in these photos. I think Megan “tweaks” her face a lot, but it was at its worst circa 2009-10. I think her changing look these days is mostly about her back-to-back pregnancies. Her face is longer now and her lips aren’t so artificially inflated. It’s like she’s de-Kardashianing. Anyway, Megan has something to promote – ??? – and she has a lot to say about her intelligence, her career, motherhood and how uncomfortable she is being seen as some kind of model or music video chick (she’s both).
The criticisms people have of her: “I would say most people assume that I’m not very smart or educated or earnest, because I have this image that I’m sort of narcissistic, chasing attention, and wanting people to like me. It makes me laugh because I’ve done plenty of interviews and when you read the article from beginning to end you can see that I’m not your typical music video model. My life is not about seeking other people’s approval because I know it isn’t going to come.”
Getting kicked off the Transformers franchise: “I think there’s a lot of growing personally that I needed to do, to control my passion. I really wanted to be a mom, and I wasn’t yet, and I really struggled with that. I was just too young to see where I wanted to go.”
The criticism of her acting abilities: “In Transformers I was a kid. I had no idea what I was doing. There was nothing for me to do, but then I did nothing and that was my own call. I don’t take it personally because in some ways I acknowledge and agree. But at the same time, both established comedians and Quentin Tarantino have come up to me and said, ‘I really liked Jennifer’s Body. You were really good in that’. The people whose opinions matter liked it, so I’m OK with that.”
She’s not your mannequin: “I’ve never had fun getting dressed up and going on the red carpet because there’s pressure there. You’re not just getting dressed because you think this is an amazing outfit. You’re getting dressed because there’s an obligation from your side to a certain designer and then you have to go and walk the carpet hoping that someone else isn’t wearing something similar. I’m just sort of the mannequin that they send out, so it’s just not a fun process for me.”
She’s not planning out her career: “I don’t sit back and have a game plan and make decisions about my career like other actors do. I have no ego tied up into my career at all. If I get pitched into a movie I do it and that’s that; it doesn’t matter if it’s weird or small or huge. I trust my intuition.”
Motherhood: “I don’t think I need to teach my children with harsh words or with punishment. I believe that if I love them the right way, there’s no need for that. I’m a free-spirit mother. I don’t talk to Bodhi like he’s an adult, obviously, but I listen to everything he says to me and I believe in him: I believe that he sees things I don’t see, I believe he has things to teach me, and so I don’t act as a disciplinarian or an authority figure per se. I don’t ever want to be a restrictive force on him; I want to be an expansive force…I want him to be inspired by me because he constantly inspires me as well. Motherhood has really deepened me and has given me so much perspective. I’m very dedicated.”
Do you think Megan Fox is smart? I do not. I don’t think she’s fall-down stupid or anything, but she’s said a mountain of dumb things (even in this interview, she said dumb sh-t) and I think it’s fair game to judge her on her public statements. I can’t blame her for wanting to remind people that she sees herself as a real actress, although let’s be honest: most of the money she makes these days are from her modeling contracts, endorsements and commercial work. It seems stupid to bitch about how you’re not a model or a mannequin when you’re getting millions of dollars to be just that.
Also: “There was nothing for me to do, but then I did nothing and that was my own call.” Explain? No one expected Meryl Streep-level acting in the Transformers franchise, but it seems like Megan is saying yeah, she phoned it in. She didn’t even try.
Photos courtesy of John Russo/Harper’s Bazaar Arabia.
I actually like her. God forbid a woman doesn’t just give boringbsoundbite about their “process” in acting. At her height of fame, I actually loved her interviews.
I like her, too, and I do think there is more to her than most people assume. She pulled back from the Hollywood scene for awhile and that seemed like a good move. She’s always come across as a little more wise and a little more grounded that her appearance and age would stereotypically suggest.
@ JOSEPHINE
Please lets not act like it was the Megans choice to pull back from Hollywood. The fact is Hollywood moved on from her to the next pretty girl because People like Megan are a dime a dozen in Hollywood.
As for people think she not smart, I’ve never thought she was stupid just a horrible actress. As for her going on and on about how intelligent, she is I have yet to see any evidence of this in any of her interviews sit down or print.
People aren’t judging her for just not being deep though – they’re judging her because she keeps saying how intelligent she is in multiple interviews, and failing to demonstrate it.
thank You Erinn, That’s what is being side eyed here Not her IQ… Well that and the 9th incarnation of her face which is now possibly a plexi-glass and tupperware construct
Agreed. If you have to keep telling people how intelligent you are, can you really expect them to believe it?
Nailed it, Erinn.
For someone who claims she doesn’t need validation, she sure seems insecure about people’s perception of her.
Also, I lol’d at “Quentin Tarantino and established comedians”.
I’m not sure of what she’s said in the past about her intelligence, but in this interview I didn’t think she was saying that she was ultra-intelligent. Rather, I thought she was simply saying that she’s not quite as dumb as people think she is, which I don’t think is necessarily implausible.
I like her as well – she hasn’t offended me and I think she’s just so freaking gorgeous lol. I agree with her take on the Transformers – she was just cast as the “hot chick”. Not a lot of character development there to sink your teeth into. She’s acknowledging that she was too young to try to do more than that.
I <3 her. She always seems very conscious and matter-of-fact of herself in her interviews. She just comes across as more mature than her peers. Would love to see her do more comedy because I think that's really her strong-suit…
I always liked her too and I think she’s beautiful and harmless.
Hey at least she didn’t go out talked about the 55 continents in Africa
She was really funny in ‘this is 40’ with Leslie Mann.
I like her too. Over the years she’s said really awesome things about women and supporting women. I don’t think she’s stupid at all. She seems very self-aware
I’m sorry… “assume”?
A couple of years ago I read an interview with Megan Fox (ELLE UK) and she was talking about how she is smart and how she had things to say. I read the interview from beginning to end and kept on waiting for her intelligence to come across and it absolutely did not. Not being “a music video model who seeks other peoples approval” doesn´t automatically make you smart or educated. The “de-Kardashianing” of her face shows some evolvement so that´s good. She should acknowledge who she is or prove people wrong.
Good observation. I felt the same in this interview. I never especially thought she was dumb in the first place, but I was waiting, in this interview, as you said for intelligence to come across. And I waited …
That’s the thing. She’s not startlingly dumb – she’s just got a way higher view of her level of intelligence than what is realistic. She uses a lot of words and actually manages to say very little.
Yes. You ladies said it all here.
You know, I like Megan Fox but she’s full of it most of the time.
most people assume that I’m not very smart or educated or earnest, because I have this image that I’m sort of narcissistic, chasing attention, and wanting people to like me.
She’s said so many dumb things, that’s on her, not the reader who rightfully judged her for it. Granted it was too harsh at times considering men don’t ever get that type of criticism for much worse and she was quite new to the industry and in a franchise. But still, it’s not an assumption when it came out of her own mouth.
If she knows her image, she is definitely narcissist and a people pleaser as she is reading people’s opinions and is trying to change them by denying it and trying to explain her ‘real’ personality. She’s caught lying so many times e;g. her using bisexuality for her sexpot image and then blaming the magazines years later or saying she never split from BAG and only slept with 2 people in her life (until Shia came out and exposed that lie). It was clear that like many, she tried to be the next Angelina Jolie but she wasn’t because of a lack of talent, natural looks and Jolie always came across as honest and didn’t deny or play down her sexual experience(s). She was an open book, Fox pretended to be one and when the image didn’t work out, she tried to change it (and still does). That’s not earnest sweetie.
Re: Transformers: Uh no. She split with BAG during one of the films and hooked up witch Shia Leboeuf (who was a douche for revealing that). She actively tried to become a movie star by capitalizing on that Transformers fame and only after that whole debacle and a string of flops, did she married BAG and had a kid a few years later. That’s years between her last Transformers film and her child so she wasn’t that eager, especially not when her broken off engagement lasted quite while and it still took them a while to become parents. She wanted fame and lots of films and ended up with nothing but a bad reputation.
Megan can’t act. She’s subpar and there are tons of prettier girls out there who can deliver a line and are less of a ‘hassle’ to deal with. Not that I blame her for blasting Michael Bay but in that industry with her little talent, you need to learn your place or you’re out. I feel bad for her but she should have known that her talent wasn’t the thing that was going to push her career. Tarantino never cast her in a movie so what does praise mean what it doesn’t result in a film offer?
She is a mannequin though, Kaiser is right. Who is she fooling? She’s not getting any lucrative film offers or decent roles so sit down Fox.
Serious question: Why do you like her? Because I like her, too, and I don’t know why. I, too, think she can’t act and is full of it. I liked her in “Jennifer’s body”, though That movie didn’t know what it wanted to be, but she was fun to watch.
She tried so hard to be somebody in Hollywood but deep down she must know she just doesn’t have it. Not even her looks can save her. I feel for her and I think she’s not smart enough to survive that business (see: her face 🙁 )
Also, I feel that BAG was dead wrong to date her when she was barely legal. She seems to have settled with him because he was her first serious love.
She said some problematic stuff but so have a lot of other people that do have a career, the punishment was harsher than the offence in my opinion.
How many times is she going to say this in an interview?
I feel like this is all her interviews are about. How she’s so much more than a hot chick. We got it, Meg. Now say or do something that proves so.
The picture where she has her hands across the railing – what an incredibly awkward pose. And bad styling, too, IMHO. Her dress doesn’t fit, it’s a bad angle, and her hair looks half finished.
Isn’t this the same dress FLOTUS wore to an event over the weekend? Maybe a BET event?
Yaaaas! I thought the same thing! Her hair looks a mess and that dress is doing her no favors. She does look great for having 2 babies though. I don’t hate her. She doesn’t come across as dingy in interviews or anything. I think shes probably smart, not as smart as she thinks she is though.
It’s just so boring when celebrities get defensive about absolutely nothing. I actually like Megan and I hope she finds some interesting projects, so that she has something to talk about again instead of all this bla bla bla. Apparently she’s done a movie with James Franco. I don’t know if that’s reason to be excited or afraid.
Embrace your dumbness, woman, it’s in your eyes and you can’t fool anyone with this “I’m not just a hot girl” talk. Still, I think there’s a bit of wisdom in this, when she talked about respecting her son’s view even though he’s a child. Most parents overlook their children’s pain, just because “it’s children’s stuff”.
I wouldn’t call her highly intelligent but I wouldn’t call her dumb either, based on the little I know of her. Especially in light of what she said about respecting her son, that’s pretty wise. I don’t agree with everything she said about that but it does demonstrate a decent degree of emotional intelligence, which is sadly lacking in many people who are “book smart.”
As someone here said, even a broken clock is right twice in a day. As nobody can be always intelligent, the opposite works as well, that’s why I still can’t decide if I’m surprised or not. Above it all, I do think she’s a really good mother, and this way she’s already way ahead of many book smart people.
Yes,
I agree – I loved what she said about her son and how she interacts with him. I felt the same way about my niece and nephew when they were really little and I still do. It sounds that if all else fails, she is/will be a good mother.
So she invites the reader to determine how smart she is by “reading her interview from beginning to end?” wow Megan, how come no one ever awarded you an Honorary degree from an ivy league based just on your groundbreaking interviews…
Megan you were a pretty face who got lucky – and to say she didn’t know what she was doing in TRF is like a professional employee shrugging and saying “I didn’t know what I was doing at my first job, hmm whatever.”
I was pretty much indifferent towards Megan, save all that unfortunate messing with her face but this convinced me she’s vapid as if being born into a Kardashian’s nest.
Shiaa? Yea, she’s a real intellectual.
She’s the worst kind of dumb in that she doesn’t even know she’s dumb. I judge her by her interviews, not her pretty face. I’m glad to see her looking better. Her face was so scary looking in that pink dress at some award show a few years back.
Did we miss something? Has she acquired a degree or two? If she wants to be seen as educated….get an education.
Having a degree doesn’t make you smart. I have three myself and wouldn’t characterize myself as such. There are different types of smarts outside of book-smart.
Bulls**t
Bulls**t
Bulls**t
Bulls**t
Bulls**t
Oh, interesting parenting strategy. I’m kinda like that too.
she is dumb. she can’t act. she had pretty nailed down but is so dumb she messed with her face. surprised all of the acting roles dried up -said no one ever.
Read the description on her instagram https://instagram.com/the_native_tiger/ . I mean, come on…It’s ridiculous.
“Megan Fox Child of the Cherokee Tribe🔥forest nymph🌿🌺Lunar Leo mother goddess🌙🔮to 2 bohemian revolutionaries-my kamikaze free spirit & my peaceful warrior🙏 ”
Whaaaaaat?
That sounds more like a description of Shailene Woodley.
Dude, what is she, like 1/4 Cherokee? C’mon, Megan. You may be a wood nymph, but you’re no Native.
She has gone new-agey.
I actually like what she said about parenting. The rest was filler.
Her reach definitely exceeds her grasp. She may be self-educated but she once said in another interview…”I hated school and have never been a big believer in formal education” and “the education I was getting seemed irrelevant. So, I was sort of checked out on that part of it”.
Good – she knows a big word…”irrelevant”.
Megan Fox is one of the people I like and feel compelled to defend even though (or probably because) she gets so much hate. Do I think she’s perfect? No. But a lot of people assume the worst about her (vapid, stupid, famewhore, no talent, etc.) because she’s pretty in a pin-up way and she’s probably tired of being dismissed for her interests (e.g. LOTR) – heck, as a person – because of it. She also seems self-aware, unlike a lot of her peers – I think she knows her place in the Hollywood hierarchy (she’s knows she’s not going to win an Oscar).
I’ve always felt the same way. She strikes me as someone who does have more native intelligence than she’s given credit for and she would’ve benefited from having more intellectual guidance at a young age. It’s very easy for me to imagine the people around her growing up assuming she’d make it in the world on her looks and not to bother with educating her. People who are turned off by formal education are usually people who still care about learning! They just need to learn in different ways. The incurious ones just go with the flow and jump through hoops as expected. And, quite frankly, show up on blogs with their college educations (because *that’s* what makes you smart?) and get all snide and bitchy about people like Megan, who I think has always displayed a degree of self awareness and trying to make sense of the world that, yes, I associate with intelligence.
+1
Also – It wasn’t so long ago when Matthew McConaughey had similar opinions floating around about him. Years of phoning it in doing rom-coms and suddenly BAM! he’s an Oscar-winning leading man.
tldr; Don’t judge Megan Fox or her career just yet.
Megan, here is what education could have taught you: being smart and educated which you claim for yourself, despite evidence to the contrary, (this interview being further proof of it,) do NOT exclude being a narcissist or a people pleaser or a liar. Your logic is pretty faulty in saying otherwise. In fact, I know pretty intelligent and well-educated folks (any investment banker I ever met) who are also very good liars and exceptionally good at pleasing people, as that is after all part of the job.
Your word salad about the Bay debacle… Let’s be honest. You were hired to be the pretty girl in short shorts, not for your acting range. A smart girl would keep her mouth shut, keep acting and eventually prove her acting chops – if any, then move on to meatier roles. But if the only thing you bring to the table is your looks, and you know there is a long line of other pretty girls behind you only too happy to replace you…. Don’t blow it. Yes Bay (and most directors) use these girls as fillers essentially but what, you did not know this going in?? You expected Shakespeare in the park?? Honestly, if you’re their to be a sexpot, own it, and prove to be more so you earn more chances.
Finally… The whole new age parenting stuff… Whatever. I know it struck a chord with lots of commenters but I will fall on the other side and say this is why so many HW kids are screwed up. Their parents are their friends and buddies and fairy godmothers instead of parenting them. You need to set some rules and boundaries and a structure for your child, unless you want to raise Willow and Jaden Smith. I cringe when I see a parent asking the three year old: do you want dinner now? Oh, what would you like for dinner? Hello! You are the parent…. The three year old does not understand the importance of routine, how much sleep is required, what is proper nutrition, etc… They are not small adults. Rant over! (That does not mean I suggest punishments or strictness, just be clear who is the adult and who is the kid.)
Yeah I didn’t want to comment on that part of the interview because I’m not a parent, but since you brought it up…
Not disciplining your kids just seems incredibly lazy to me.
I said I liked part of what she said but the discipline thing did irk me because kids absolutely need boundaries and discipline, some way more than others. I think she’ll figure it out, hopefully, since the first part of what she said did seem insightful and smart and not lazy.
I guess I have a “new-agey” outlook on my kids’ psyches and the fact that their viewpoints/perspectives shouldn’t be dismissed, but a more old fashioned approach to how they are actually raised.
I am totally with you on respecting children’s viewpoint, you would get no argument there. (I got into a huge fight with my brother-in-law who believes you should force-teach a child to eat – of all things – ground beef. My point to him was, you would not like me to force feed you dishes I find totally acceptable made of organs, not commonly eaten in North America, why would you disrespect a child that way??)
So I think you definitely should understand and honour who your child is (as opposed to dressing toddlers in black couture and Doc Martens, ahem)… I just got a vibe of her reminding me of other relatives whose basic attitude to child rearing was “they can do whatever they want and it is fine…” no it’s not!!
Children don’t rear themselves, it takes a parent or two or whatever combination their family is… And that may at times be disappointing or frustrating or incredibly rewarding – or a combination of all three when you realize your son is not only not going to be a soccer star, which is fine, but it is actually cringe-y to watch him float around the stupid soccer ball… but that’s ok, because he blows every math test out of the water and his knowledge of science is pretty advanced and he knows more about politics than I ever did at his age. So not only you can’t change them, but I wouldn’t in any case. But I still tell him to pick up his socks, do his homework and his chores and wash his hands properly before dinner, because – parenting. I have a feeling we’re pretty much alike that way:-) Esmom
I kind of feel bad for her :S. I think she has enough self-awareness to realize that most people view her as “dumb”, and she’s insecure about that. She probably does think she’s a lot smarter than what she actually is, but she still feels insecure because she’s been the butt of a lot of peoples jokes over the years. However. When she says people assume she’s not smart or educated… Well, did she even graduate from high school??? What has she done to educate herself over the years? I kept reading thinking she was going to explain how’s she attempted to educate herself, and she didn’t. So no wonder people are going to assumed she’s not smart or educated.
“Most people assume I’m not very smart or educated.”
Oh honey, let’s not pull on that thread.
I feel sorry for her. I think she is in a icky relationship…don’t know what it is but there is something about it that is creepy.
I don’t think she is smart, or talented but there is something just sad about her.
She’s sounded dumb in the past, but I didn’t think she sounded dumb here. She just more or less sounds like a normal person (possibly trying to make an image change).
I thought the stuff she said about fashion made sense. I can imagine not enjoying the experience because of the pressure and being scrutinized and waiting for the people on Fashion Police to assess you.
She probably did aspire to some kind of success outside of Transformers because her agents probably told her to strike while the iron is hot, but for some reason I can believe her ego is not that tied to her career. Maybe because she’s with David Silver? I assume she’s seen him dance and rap….
For a sight that claims to be so pro women, you all really love bringing someone down. She said nothing even mistakenly problematic or controversial. She’s a cool chick. You’re all sitting at your computers hiding Her intelligence because, what, it makes you feel better about yourself? I agree, she is not a Rhodes Scholar but she doesn’t seem completely vapid. But what do I know. You all got several Ph D’s from Oxford, right?
I don’t think all the comments about her were mean or catty.
Personally I don’t think about her much one way or another; I do think she sounded insecure. She’s a pretty girl but a mediocre actress who most likely isn’t in for the long haul.
A site can be pro-women and not enable actresses who repeatedly give interviews that reveal a limited life view. She is hired for her attractiveness; she should just embrace it and the millions she makes from it.
PS. Not disciplining or wanting to be “authoritarian” as a parent will not result in a positive outcome for your child. You can be loving and a good listener while still enforcing boundaries that keep them safe and healthy.
Being pro woman doesn’t mean supporting talentless people that midia tries to shove down on our throats. If someone is famous, rich and have a place in the spotlight, the least we expect to said person is to be good at what he/she gains all this money and recognition for.
Because feminism means never having an opinion about another woman.
Well I, for one, got my PhD from Cambridge…..
(Damnit, where’s a sarcasm front when you need one)
Oh, she went to college? I had no idea. *rolls eyes*
I don’t think she’s as smart as Angela Merkel, but I think she’s smarter than Shia LaBoeuf…
And they’d be right! 😀
Nah, some people just wonder why you’re on the cover of a magazine.
I don’t think she’s the brightest, but I can believe that she has some natural curiosity. Also, there’s a nuttiness about her that I enjoy.
Maybe she’ll show up on Jon Oliver’s show: “Megan Fox: Why is she still a thing?”
I do not quite understand because they say that Megan Fox is very bad actress. Obviously not Meryl Streep, but in the entire world there are only three Meryls Streep. The first is Meryl Streep and the other two actresses Meryl Strepp called the first and the second is called Meryl Streep. No one can compare to that actress. Helen Mirren is another excellent unmatched English actress, but the funny thing is that as good or as mlas actresses like Megan Fox, are not tratads equally by their good or bad performances (we must think tastes or preferences are elements subjective) as Angelina Joliee, Emma Stone, etc, etc. I think Megan Fox is correct in their interpretations, then the movie is bad such as Passion Play, the fault is not it, is the producer and director, she only has to answer for her performance and she was fine .
I like her a lot, I don’t think she’s dumb at all. She’s made it this long in the business, with some set backs, so she is at least smart enough
I can’t remember if she’s said not too bright things in the past. She’s never had a chicken of the sea moment, right? You never saw her being out of control at parties, or pulling diva moves, even at the height of her fame. I guess I like that she defied expectations that way.