Kate Beckinsale did a pretty startling makeover to play the vampire in "Underworld" after her role as the sweet child "Hero" of "Much Ado About Nothing." But it's her shocking weight loss in "Pearl Harbor" that was scariest. Beckinsale shared what prompted her scary-thin look. She talked about an anorexia scare, growing armpit hair for Emma Thompson and body love. Wait till you get a load of the body-shaming comments one director made that prompted the body image issues.
Michael Bay body slams Kate Beckinsale
The "Pearl Harbor" director was at first off put by Beckinsale because she came in wearing leather trousers.
Michael Bay said he thought she was a "nasty" not-so-pretty "slut." As if that wasn't enough of a stake to the heart, he suggested that the trim, healthy-curved actress lose weight to play the female lead. Kate joked that he was just not used to seeing actors with normal breasts that weren't as big as their heads. Plastic surgery does have a lot to answer for in Hollywood. Breast implants are as common adornments as earrings.
Kate Beckinsale didn't need fat-shaming
The Oxford scholar had enough low self-esteem to feed an eating disorder clinic. In fact, the "Total Recall" star spent years in psychotherapy battling anorexia problems that began at 15. Asking Beckinsale to lose weight was like snapping the rubber band on a junkie's arm.
And Bay's fat shaming bit deep, recalls Kate. She defended her leather pants and her deportment, but needle was already in. She went after weight loss in a big way, even though she questioned how it worked for the part.
The hairy armpit statement
It sounds like an episode of "Big Bang Theory" but Beckinsale says that growing armpit hair is a universal sign of solidarity with women's rights.
As far back as "Much Ado About Nothing" she was a feminist. She kind of had to be. Playing alongside Emma Thompson, one was obliged to sport hairy armpits to show one's support of the cause. Funnily enough, the Shakespearean tragi-comedy touches on female empowerment. No one knew that under those scintillating bodices, Beckinsale looked like a "small baboon."
Women under fire
Beckinsale stands for women because they have face constant discrimination.
She says women's bodies are continually under some kind of attack. Either you're too fat or too thin. Bullying is usually exaggerated. If you're slightly, arguably overweight, you're one step from morbid obesity. Women also can't win for losing. If you shed weight, you're caving on the body love message. If you lose what folks deem "too much weight" you have an eating disorder. If you dress sensually, you're a sex-starved tramp. Relationship problems don't help: after her split with Michael Sheen, Kate dealt with further emotional pain. Despite having the body of celebrity superhero and sexy vampire, the old doubts creep in. So you must rise above, love yourself and ignore the haters, says Kate.
