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 recurring role on Hope and Faith. 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 and earned her various Teen Choice Awards nominations. 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 in men's magazine "Hot" lists. She was listed #18, #16, and #2 on Maxim magazine's yearly Hot 100 list in 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively, while FHM readers voted her the "Sexiest Woman in the World" in 2008. She ranked number one on Moviefone's "The 25 Hottest Actors Under 25" in 2008.
In 2004, Fox began dating Brian Austin Green, of Beverly Hills, 90210 fame, after reportedly having met on the set of Hope and Faith. The two have since been in an on-and-off relationship.
Early life:
Fox is of Irish, French and Native American ancestry and was born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee to Darlene Tonachio and Franklin Fox. Fox's parents divorced when she was young and she and her sister were raised by her mother and her stepfather, Tony Tonachio. She said that the two were "very strict" and that she wasn't allowed to have a boyfriend.She lived with her mother until she made enough money to support herself.Fox began her training in drama and dance at age five, in Kingston, Tennessee. 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. When she was 13 years old, Fox began modeling after winning several awards at the 1999 American Modeling and Talent Convention in Hilton Head,
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". 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". 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"
Career:
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). The film was released Direct-to-DVD on November 20, 2001. The following year, Fox landed the lead main role as Ione Starr on the television 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, in the category of "Choice Movie Actress: Action Adventure", "Choice Movie: Breakout Female", and "Choice Movie: Liplock". Fox has signed on for two more Transformers sequels. 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. In 2008, Fox appeared alongside Rumer Willis as the character Lost in Whore. The film centers around a group of young hopeful teenagers who have come to Hollywood in the hopes of an acting career find that the business is harder than they had ever imagined. The film was released October 20, 2008.
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 movie's director, ordered the actress to gain 10 pounds.Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen premiered on June 8, 2009 in
In April 2009, Fox began filming Jonah Hex, in which she will portray Leila, a gun-wielding beauty and Jonah Hex's (Josh Brolin) love interest. The film, currently in production, is set to be released on June 18, 2010. The movie stars Josh Brolin and Will Arnett, and Fox described her role in the film as being a cameo. In early April, 2009 Fox signed on to star as the lead female role in the up-coming 2011 film The Crossing about a young couple who get caught up in a drug trafficking scheme during their vacation to Mexico. 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.Fathom is currently in pre-production.
Public image :
Fox has said during an interview with The Times, on the topic of being a role model that: "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." Fox said in the same interview, on the topic of being type-cast that: "Getting typecast as what? Attractive? How bad is that?" She feels that it isn't a bad thing to be type-cast 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. Fox has shown interest in portraying a character less sexualized than that of Mikaela Banes, whom she portrays in the Transformers film series. 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". 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."Fox has appeared on the covers of many magazines. In 2007, she appeared in Maxim;in 2008, the list had grown to include Cosmo Girl,Paw Print,Jack (
In late July 2009, Fox's overexposure in parts of the media caused several men's websites to boycott her. 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. In response to this, 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."I don’t want to have people get completely sick of me before I’ve ever even done something legitimate."
On September 11, 2009, an unsigned letter from crew members of Transformers defended
Comparison to Angelina Jolie
Fox has often been compared to actress Angelina Jolie, with the media dubbing her as "next Angelina Jolie". Fox has been compared to Jolie because they each have a "tattoo collection", and status as a "built in sex-symbol".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. 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." 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."Tattoos:
Fox has eight known tattoos, including her ex-fiancé's name "Brian" on her lower hip and a picture of Marilyn Monroe's face on her right forearm. Fox also has another tattoo on her right shoulder that reads, "We will all laugh at gilded butterflies" a line adapted from William Shakespeare's play King Lear, a yin and yang tattoo on her left inner wrist, a poem on the left side of her rib cage that reads "there once was a little girl who never knew love until a boy broke her HEART," and a Chinese word for "strength" on her neck.Fox also has a crescent moon overlapping a five pointed star on the inner aspect of her lower leg above her right ankle.This tattoo is the only known colored tattoo that Fox has.
Personal life:
Fox has been involved with actor Brian Austin Green since 2004, having first met on the set of Hope & Faith. In 2006, the two got engaged, but said they had not had any marriage plans. It was reported that the couple had ended their relationship in July 2008 and in February 2009; however, Fox and Green both confirmed on both occasions that the two are still in a relationship. On June 15, 2009, at the UK
Fox is good friends with Jennifer Blanc, Kellan Rhude, Jennifer's Body co-star Amanda Seyfried, Michael Biehn and Transformers co-star Shia LaBeouf. She is a fan of comic books, anime, and video games, and has said that her interest in art began at 12 years old, when she watched animated shows during Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network. Fox's favorite artist is Michael Turner whose Fathom comic she describes as a longtime obsession. Fox has two dogs, including a Pomeranian named after Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious. Fox has also openly stated that she supports the legalization of marijuana, saying that she does not consider it a drug and that she would be first in line to buy a pack of joints. 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. In May 2009, she confirmed her bisexuality.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." 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."
Fox has additionally been open about her insecurities, and self-harming. She also acknowledges that she has low self-esteem:
Filmography:
Film | |||
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
2003 | Club Kid | Extra (Uncredited) | |
2004 | Carla Santini | Supporting role | |
2007 | Lead role | ||
2008 | Sophie Maes | Supporting role | |
Lost | Lead role | ||
2009 | Mikaela Banes | Lead role | |
Jennifer Check | Lead role | ||
2010 | Leila | (Post-production) | |
(Filming) | |||
2011 | The Crossing | TBA | Lead role (Pre-production) |
Mikaela Banes | Lead role (Pre-production) | ||
Film Made for Television or Video | |||
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2001 | Brianna Wallace | Direct-to-DVD (Debut role) | |
2004 | Candace | TV Movie | |
Television | |||
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2002–2003 | Ione Starr | Lead role | |
2004–2006 | Sydney Shanowski | Regular role | |
Television guest appearances | |||
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2003 | "Like a Virgin (Kinda)" (Season 2, Episode 5) | ||
2004 | Prudence | "Camel Filters and Pheromones" (Season 1, Episode 12) | |
Cassandra Ridgeway | "Pilot" (Season 1, Episode 1) "Ollie Shares" (Season 1, Episode 2) "Dwyane Gets a Cold" (Season 1, Episode 5) | ||
Awards
Awards | ||||
Year | Result | Award | Category | Nominated Work |
2005 | Nominated | Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Supporting Young Actress | ||
2007 | Choice Movie Actress: Action Adventure | |||
Choice Movie: Breakout Female | ||||
Choice Movie: Liplock | ||||
Best Performance by a Female | ||||
2008 | Breakthrough Performance | |||
2009 | Won[78] | Choice Female Hottie | None | |
Choice Summer Movie Star Female | ||||
Best Sci-Fi Actress | ||||
Best Performance By A Human Female | ||||
2010 | TBA | Favorite Movie Actress | Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | |
