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Movies flop all the time, but there was something distinct about the wayBodyfailed.
However, the movies marketing campaign tells a different story.
Unfortunately, criticism unraveled accordingly.
But what a decade its been forJennifers Bodysince its release.
A veritableonline movementeruptedin the years after its theatrical debut, calling fora reappraisal of the filmagainandagain.
Karyn, youve talked aboutJennifers Bodyat various points over the years and participated in screenings before.
But Megan, this is one of your first times really revisiting the work publicly.
Why now?Megan Fox: I didnt really understand how it had grown since we released it.
So I didnt really understand how the movie continued to gain fans through the years.
Then there wasa big featurefrom last year called You Probably OweJennifers Bodyan Apology.
Not necessarily for good or for bad, just because I like to keep moving in my life.
Its exciting for me.
Its like, you know, of course the movie has its flaws and a lot of movies do.
But Im really excited by what survives in it, what remains totally bracing and un-PC.
Your performance is canon.Kusama: Its iconic.
I think in general Im a much more vulnerable person than people realize.
It wasnt really totally genuine.
So, I think it just happened.
It wasnt really an acting exercise, per se.
It was just leaning into the darkest part of my own shadow.
Lets just go deep into this place where I should be hiding all of this from people.
Lets just expose it.
Fox: Johnny was great.
Kusama: And Kyle Gallner.
I mean, there are just so many wonderful performances.
J.K. Simmons and Amy Sedaris, it goes on and on and thats such a pleasure.
Fox: I feel like Amanda and I kind of fell into
Kusama: The relationship.
We kind of were that relationship on set a little bit.
Not quite as toxic, but we were sort of living it a little bit.
What was it like for you?
I was just in it.
Kusama: Megan will remember: I had my son up on set with me in Vancouver.
He turned 1 while we were prepping.
My husband was coming up every weekend.
It was a really fun set.
I mean, the sacrifice scene I remember being deeply upset by it.
You were deeply upset by it.
Fox[to Vulture]: Can I ask a question?
When you were making it, were you like,This is a fucking good movie?
Or did you not know until you got out of editing that it was like,All right.
We made a good movie?
Kusama: I always felt like it would have its trouble spots.
I just didnt realize how its really provocative for people.
It was really weird.
The crazy thing about fan culture is that we dont.
at people who agree with us.
Weve been on an infinite loop for ten years.
Fuck your mental or emotional well-being.
That never is a question when youre a woman in Hollywood.
I could just surrender to it and cry and wilt and it was okay.
I find it really difficult to watch actually.
Fox: My mom still wont watch it.
She cant handle it.
She knows what happens cause she listened to it, but she wont watch it.
I remember when it was over.
Fox: In Canada in the winter.
Kusama: In Canada in the winterat night.
So we were all probably a little bit demented, but Megan just gave so much.
She made it so terrifying and deeply upsetting, deeply disturbing.
That was something really moving to me on that day.
There was something so viscerally honest about what Megan was doing.
This is the time.
Its okay to be a woman.
Its okay, because were feminists, but am I accepted by feminists?
Because I never felt like I was.
Shes stupid and shes selfish and shes a dumb cunt and we dont like her.
She deserves that, because she said this or did this.
It is a lot to carry.
And this kind of feedback was taken seriously.Kusama: And more was spelled moar.
It was just so strange, because it just took away the entire story.
Focus on Megan hot.
It it was just such a strange it was a dark time.
At that time, Diablo was coming off ofJunoand her Oscar.
Um, and then … yeah [laughs].
The performance of her life!
I never anticipated that.
So this came out while I was on the press tour, and we had been in Canada.
We landed in New York.
Weve gotten like 600 phone calls from Steven Spielberg.
If you dont remember, this was something we referred to asHitler-gate.
And I thought it was a good colloquialism to refer to him as a Hitler.
That was not a good idea for many, many, many reasons!
I was 23 or 22.
Its something I grew up hearing people say.
It had no anti-Semitic slant or anything like that!
However, he was very upset.
He didnt like it.
He was like, Now anytime somebody Googles Michael Bay, its going to say Hitler next to me!
And I was supposed to start pre-production on the third ofTransformersa few months after that.
So, essentially a lot of things happened.
I refused to apologize, blah blah blah [applause].
That doesnt make me cool!
I was a stubborn kid.
I could have taken responsibility for that.
So thenJennifers Bodycomes out.
It gets the reviews that it gets.
And that didnt go well, as a lot of people probably know!
I happened to pull the trigger first and quit, and again, not because Im cool.
I wouldve gotten fired eventually anyway.
I had to go through that, and I was also really getting it from other women a lot.
And Im like, my parents are going to read that.
What did I ever do to deserve to deserve that?
You were never even a scandalous figure.Fox: No.
I never did drugs.
I never went to clubs.
Ive been in the same relationship for 15 years.
Shes actually a decent actress.
If theres one thing Ive ever been, its a comedic actress.
But I also became a mom, and Ive had three kids since then.
So that parts cool [laughs].
Fox: Especially if youre a woman.
So I just kept working.
I started really seriously working in television, and started returning to the indie space.
It took a while, but I madeThe Invitationand my last film,Destroyer.
Fewer and fewer people see them.
I am not saying this ironically, I am truly grateful to be here.
And, like, did you just watch the same movie as me?
Its not just men who become damaged in that system.
Women become so damaged in that system.
They just felt a power in belittling the film and the filmmaking.
I think Im gay.
Its not just BFFs.
Its kind of more complex than that.
So there was the pressure of almost anticipating the disappointment.
Which, of course, it was.
It was completely misunderstood.
From the test, were screenings the bros were like, Yeah!
and bro-ing out over it?
Fox: Maybe thats where they thought there should be more boobs.
