Megan Fox says she was "overlooked for her talent and intelligence because of her good looks

The 35-year-old actress - who is in a relationship with rap-rocker Machine Gun Kelly - also recalled facing criticism from other women for "speaking out" about it.

She told The Washington Post: "I think there has been a pervasive perception of me as a shallow succubus, if that makes any sense, for at least the first decade of my career.

"And then that started to change more recently as people revisited my interviews, listened to me speak and started to see me in a different way.

"I was so lost and trying to understand, like, how am I supposed to feel value or find purpose in this horrendous, patriarchal, misogynistic hell that was Hollywood at the time.

"Because I had already been speaking out against it and everyone, including other women, received me in a very negative way for doing it."

She continued: "I was never really established as having been talented.

"People were surprised that I was funny at all.

"More than being overlooked for my ability to handle comedy sometimes, I've always been surprised by how easy it was for people to overlook that I'm relatively intelligent.

"I was like, how does that get so lost when there's ridiculous amounts of material that can educate you otherwise?"