Kate Beckinsale talks body shaming, reveals Ben Affleck had to get new teeth before 'Pearl Harbor'

Taryn Ryder
Updated

Kate Beckinsale has just opened up about her wellness routine (and much more) in a new cover story for Women's Health. In it, the 46-year-old actress explained that she didn't start working out until her 20s, when director Michael Bay asked her to lose weight for her starring role in 2001's Pearl Harbor. It's a story she has shared before, but this time Beckinsale revealed she wasn't the only one whose physical appearance had to change.

"It wasn’t great, it didn’t make me feel good, and in general, I think women are body-shamed 100 million percent more than men. But on this particular project, I wasn’t," Beckinsale recalled. "Ben [Affleck], who’d already done a movie with the director, was like, 'This happened to me. They made me get new teeth.' And I was like, 'Cool, at least I get to hang on to my actual teeth.'"

Before Pearl Harbor, Affleck worked with Bay on the 1998 film Armageddon. It was suspected the 47-year-old actor got veneers and naturally, there have been Pinterest and Reddit boards over the years dedicated to the dental investigation. Bay hasn't commented on his alleged directive, but he has spoken out before about Beckinsale's claim she was told to lose weight.

In 2016, Bay wrote on his blog, "So I guess I was the 'bad guy' 16 years ago for suggesting a trainer because she just had her new beautiful baby girl—and she was about to enter into an intensive action movie. Note to reporters: 95% of leads in movies have trainers and drink green juice!"

Beckinsale also reflected to Women's Health about what it's like to age in Hollywood.

Kate Beckinsale - Women's Health
Kate Beckinsale covers the Jan/Feb issue of Women's Health. (Photo: Ben Watts for Women’s Health)

"It can feel like a little bit of a political act to be a woman over 32 who is having any fun at all," she explained, noting in the profile she doesn't drink caffeine or alcohol. "And by that, I don’t mean doing drugs and drinking and partying — because I never am — but being goofy, and going out, and not going, 'Omigod, I’m going to sit home and anticipate menopause while crocheting.' Unless you’re doing that, it somehow seems to be risqué, which is just ridiculous to me."

She continued, "And I witness men constantly doing whatever they like — whether that’s in relationships, or deciding to buy a motorbike, or getting a tattoo. It has not been interpreted as 'Why hasn’t he had more children?' or 'Is he ever going to decide to become a parent?' or 'Why has he had so many girlfriends?'"

It won't stop Beckinsale from doing whatever she wants on Instagram.

"I’m not a social media person, but it’s nice to have this little corner that’s my vibe," she explained.

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