Kate Beckinsale has worked with some of the biggest names in the Hollywood industry including Transformers film series helmer, Michael Bay. Despite being a successful filmmaker, Bay is quite infamous for his toxic remarks toward several female actresses. Something similar happened with the former when she worked with him on a film alongside Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett that set a bizarre record.
The actress in an old interview opened up about her experience with the filmmaker when she was working with him in the 2001 film, Pearl Harbor.
Kate Beckinsale Felt Humilated by Michael Bay’s Remarks
Kate Beckinsale during an old appearance on The Graham Norton Show opened up about her experience working with Michael Bay in Pearl Harbor. She shared how she was criticized by the filmmaker for her physical appearance. It felt like the filmmaker was reluctant to star her in the film as he thought she was not “attractive” enough for the role.
In a 2016 interview, she shared,
“I think he was very alarmed because I wasn’t blond and my b–bs weren’t bigger than my head, I didn’t make sense to him as an attractive woman.”
She further stated,
“So there was a lot of panic and concern over ‘how on earth are we gonna make her attractive?’ You’d think you’d take that really personally, but I sort of managed not to. It’s so extreme I kind of didn’t.”
Those harsh remarks were deep enough to crumble anyone’s confidence. However, Bay did address those claims and shared about respecting the star.
Michael Bay Addressed His Body-Shaming Remarks Toward Kate Beckinsale
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After the actress unveiled opinions of Pearl Harbor‘s director about herself, he quickly addressed those remarks and gave a half-baked apology.
On his personal site, he wrote,
“Kate and I are friendly. She is a fantastic actress, very funny, witty lady, sassy, speaks her mind, and I truly respect her.”
He blamed the media for bending her words as he stated that he “spoke to Kate today and she felt she told a funny story.”
He further emphasized,
“The reporter made her story into some scandalous confrontation, when it was nothing of the sort.”
Despite the internal drama, the film was also quite infamous after setting a bizarre record. With an ensemble cast and a famous director, the project was a box-office success, earning nearly $450 million worldwide. However, it was negatively reviewed by film critics due to several reasons.
It was even nominated for six Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture. What’s bizarre here was that the film got four Oscar nominations, winning in the category of Best Sound Editing. Thus, it is the only film to date that got an Academy Award despite being nominated for Worst Picture.
Source: The Graham Norton Show
