"Transformers"has transformed Megan Fox's career
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Every eye -- man and woman -- is glued to the 23-year-old actress, wearing a purple dress that clings to her like a second skin, as she glides through the main lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel on her way to do an interview to promote her latest film, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."
Fox, basically unknown until she signed on to as the love interest for Shia LaBeouf's character in the 2007 film "Transformers," is hot now. You can't turn on a TV entertainment show or pick up a magazine without seeing her image.
The Tennessee native is Hollywood's cutie du jour, a stunning brunette who can guarantee an audience, especially the young male demographic, for this action film.
Fox is smart enough to know her popularity and sexy image come from being cast in movies like the two "Transformers" films from director Michael Bay.
"The character is sexy, but women in movies in general are sexy, especially Michael's movies. He knows how to make movies that get people into the theater, and that's part of it. That's part of the formula," Fox said.
And a big part of that formula is to put Fox in skimpy clothes and sell the image, such as with a photo shoot for Maxim magazine. In the first film, the audience was introduced to her bent over the engine of a car. This time she's draped over a motorcycle.
None of this escapes Fox. She jokes about how even the wardrobe selection process turned into a fashion show. She had to wear each item -- from pink belly shirt to white shorts -- to Bay's office, which was filled with males auditioning for roles in the movie.
She doesn't question Bay because of how big an impact the first film had on her career.
"The success, and how well the film was accepted, opened a lot of doors for me career-wise. I have been able to be part of some films that I really don't think I deserve to be a part of, and that is greatly, solely, due to the success of 'Transformers,' " Fox said.
One of the films she doesn't think she deserves is "Jonah Hex," the upcoming Josh Brolin movie based on the DC Comics character. She plays Leila, a twisted love interest for Hex.
The success of "Transformers" boosted Fox's celebrity status to the point that paparazzi document her every move. It has taken a little adjustment to get used to having a camera in her face after she leaves Whole Foods or comes out of Rite Aid with her shampoo bottles.
It took a glass of champagne for Fox to get up the nerve to attend the screening of the movie in London.
"I was really, really pleasantly surprised. Halfway through it I was generally overcome with genuine emotion. I wanted to hug Michael because I had gratitude for him for making this movie because it so far surpassed my expectations," Fox said.
Despite all that, Fox found filming the special-effects-heavy sequel easier than the first "Transformers."
"It was definitely easier because we knew how the robots moved. We'd seen all the robots. Once you are able to visualize something it is a lot easier to sort of fake interacting with it. I think those scenes are some of the easiest to shoot. I enjoy them," Fox said.
