Jessica Alba has told how she was “demeaned” and treated differently to male actors in her Hollywood career.
The Sin City star, 38, said at some point she realised things had to change.
She told Cosmopolitan magazine: “I was demeaned so much.
“The way women were treated in many circumstances, I was just over it.
“I’d do a lot of press; the guys did nothing compared to what I was doing.
“I was like, ‘I’m done doing it this way’.”
Asked whether she had experienced any of the murkier sides of Hollywood, Alba said: “I’m just gonna say nothing, because I don’t really feel like focusing on that.
“Just know that I’ve been through it and I guess I learned how to have a really thick skin.”
“I think that’s why I was so aggressive and such a tomboy and probably cursed too much,” she continued.
“I’ve always approached everything with a bit of cynicism and a chip on my shoulder. Not in a bad way; in a way that drove me.”
Alba also told the magazine that she was never competitive with other actresses, just actors.
She said: “I was like, ‘Why can’t I be the star of an action series? Why can’t I open movies? Why can’t I put asses on seats?’
“The more people get used to women starring in stuff, the easier it will get for us to be more equal.
“I didn’t want to be the women who Bruce Willis was into in Die Hard, I wanted to be Bruce Willis!”
The August issue of Cosmopolitan is on sale from today.
