Why Megan Fox Was Never The Same After Transformers

There's no doubt that Megan Fox is a talented and beautiful actress. She was declared the sexiest woman in the world in a 2008 online poll and seemed to be on top of the world after she scored the role of Mikaela Banes in Paramount's "Transformers." Fox, and her co-star Shia LaBeouf, received major attention for their roles, as well as the blockbuster as a whole, but there was a moment when the actor's career took a turn for the worst. 

Hollywood is a fast-paced and ruthless place, which means that if an actor or actress makes a comment they shouldn't have or a personal move they might regret, it will, unfortunately, stain their career in some way or another. For Fox, it all started when she said something that would relate to "cancel culture" today. Of course, everyone makes mistakes, and Fox knows that today, but the toll it took on her is prevalent.

Fox's career didn't start with the "Transformers" franchise, but it definitely boosted her stardom. It seemed like she was on her way to becoming an A-lister, until 2009, when she sat down with Wonderland Magazine and talked about everything under the sun, including her time on set with "Transformers" director Michael Bay. When she was asked what it was like to work with the "Blockbuster King," she said this: "He's like Napoleon and he wants to create this insane, infamous madman reputation. He wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and he is."

Her comments, which stemmed from her frustration with Bay, drastically changed the direction of her career. 

Following her comments, Megan Fox was booted from the "Transformers" franchise, with the character of Mikaela Banes effectively being written out of 2011's "Transformers: Dark of the Moon." Fox's fallout from the billion-dollar series was controversial, leading to a turbulent case of "he said she said." Following the news, Deadline says that Fox's PR team came out swinging, saying that the actress wasn't fired from the role, with the decision to quit being all her own. Shortly after, Michael Bay told GQ that executive producer Steven Spielberg compelled him to fire Fox for her comments. Shia LaBeouf added that Fox was let go because she started "s***-talking" the film's "captain." 

Ultimately, Fox and Bay's spat was short-lived, as they ended up working together in the live-action reboot of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," which Bay produced. Fox never took a break or "quit" acting — she maintained a constant flow of roles, but it seemed like her career wasn't the same after her time on "Transformers" was wrapped up. 

It's not a secret that some movie stars often get typecast or pigeonholed into one type of genre. This is unfortunate, of course, and back in the late 2000s, Fox was feeling it, too. In a 2009 interview with Jimmy Kimmel, she explains how she felt sexualized from the beginning of her career, particularly in her brief but now memorable moment in "Bad Boys II." Fox also starred in Diablo Cody's campy horror movie "Jennifer's Body," which gained backlash due to the sexism that surrounded it. Since then, the project has become a horror cult classic.

Again, there's no hidden truth behind Fox being cast as the "hot girl," which she doesn't necessarily want. In an interview with ET, Cody and Fox reunited and chatted about the film they worked on together. Fox revealed that the pressure of being objectified and oversexualized really took a toll on her, which stemmed from her role in "Transformers." Since her iteration of the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" franchise wrapped up in 2016, Fox hasn't worked with Bay. Her most notable role since then has been her stint on "New Girl."  

Of course, there's always more to every story, but her comments about Michael Bay's directing techniques and major typecasting are just a couple of reasons why Fox was never the same after her role in the "Transformers" franchise.