Hollywood Gallery Picture

Jesus. Has anyone told this girl, “Before you answer a question, just stop and think about the words you are about to say. Just think about what it sounds like.” Because this sounds like Megan wants to teach little girls how to act sexy. No, thanks, Megan. You’re not Miley Cyrus! Besides that, I think the reason Megan thinks “sexiness” is power is because that’s all she’s got. Just FYI, to all young girls out there - intelligence, education, self-respect, grace, humor, talent, compassion and humility are also pretty powerful weapons in the arsenal of modern womanhood too.

In this interview, Megan loses the graciousness she had at the Scream Awards, and instead snots out this gem: “This is a bull—- industry and I made a decision not to be a bull—- person. I need to hold onto my soul and my integrity and I can’t compromise that.” Right. Because whenever I hear the word “integrity”, Megan’s face always floats up.

Earlier this year, her comments to a magazine journalist that Michael Bay, who directed her in the two Transformers movies, is “like Hitler” on his sets prompted an angry response from three crew members who called her “dumb as a rock”, before going on to dismiss her as “thankless, classless, graceless [and] unfriendly”.

Fox shrugs off the criticism, when I meet her in Toronto – where her new movie, the demonic-possession horror-comedy Jennifer’s Body is getting its world premiere. “I’ve definitely said some things that I shouldn’t say,” she admits. “I sometimes forget how things will translate once they are in print. But this is a bull—- industry and I made a decision not to be a bull—- person. I need to hold onto my soul and my integrity and I can’t compromise that.”

“It was a difficult movie to make because I was under a lot of pressure to do Diablo’s script justice,” says Fox, “so I was nervous about that. I was always questioning myself and trying to bring some real elements to Jennifer. I wanted people to feel empathy for her; I wanted her to be a real person, and not a caricature, like some of the characters I may have played in the past.”

Asked what she makes of the “Sexiest Woman in the World” label, Fox laughs. “I don’t take any notice of those polls. I take it with a grain of salt. I think that because I was in a movie [Transformers] that made $800 million, they threw me on the top of the list.” But what about her remark to Esquire that “I’m just really confident sexually and I think that sort of oozes out of my pores?”

She sighs. “Sometimes I say things that I think are obviously sarcastic and people take them quite literally. In America we’re still very uptight about sexuality: it’s considered scandalous for women to be sexual or speak about sex in a humorous way,” she says.

“For some reason it makes people very uncomfortable, possibly because our society is still very tied to archaic biblical principles that we try to force on each other and force on our children. It’s very unfortunate because men are embraced for their sexual prowess and women discouraged from it.”

“In Europe, women are celebrated for their sexuality and appreciated for it. There you can still be both sexy and intelligent. Go figure.”

While another actress might bemoan the fact that being named the sexiest woman alive would hinder her goal of becoming “A Serious Actress”, Fox says: “I didn’t decide I’m going to be an actress because I want to be respected for how I play chess. I don’t think men approach me for intellectual conversation. I’m definitely labelled in the pin-up category and I haven’t given people a reason to take my work seriously yet.”

In the past, Fox has been outspoken about being bisexual and having had an affair with a stripper while in her teens. But, for the past five years, she has been in a monogamous relationship with actor Brian Austin Green, who is 13 years her senior.

When discussing Green, Fox suddenly, unexpectedly, begins to cry; then she dabs her eyes with a tissue, smiles and apologises. “Man, I just get emotional,” she says. You don’t come across a lot of genuine people in this industry and I feel blessed to have someone who will stick around through my bull—-”

“I just really want it at some point to be OK for women and young girls to be sexy because I think that’s a power, a gift that we were given by God or the universe or whatever,” she says. “I think I’m a different kind of role model for young girls.” She thinks for a minute and adds with a smile: “But maybe not the kind America is comfortable with.”