Why did Megan Fox leave the Transformers franchise?

Megan Fox’s Michaela Banes is the most underrated character in the first two live-action “Transformers” films. As film critic Lindsay Ellis once did He pointed outMichaela is the only character in the first live-action Transformers film to have a proper story, and also the only character to go on a clearly defined hero’s journey. It’s easy to forget that she’s written in such a complex way, because the camera leers at her throughout the film. Its name is also suspiciously similar to director Michael Bay’s, though I’m still not sure how to make sense of this information.

Although Michaela was featured in 2007’s “Transformers” and 2009’s “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” her character was unofficially written out of Bay’s third entry in the series, 2011’s “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.” She is never mentioned by any character in the film, and the film’s hero, Sam Witwicky, is never introduced. (Shia LaBeouf), though he’s particularly sad to see her out of his life. It’s a strange and jarring aspect of the film, and it seems especially strange if you watched Bay’s first three “Transformers” films back-to-back. How could the obvious love in Sam’s life disappear without any explanation? It’s as if Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man 3” began with Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) completely out of the picture.

As fans expected, Michaela’s absence in “Dark of the Moon” was largely the result of some behind-the-scenes issues.

Depending on who you ask, the problem started when Fox answered a question in a September 2009 interview Wonderland Magazine On what her “favorite and least favorite” thing is about working with Bey.

Fox replied: “He’s like Napoleon, and he wants to create this crazy, notorious reputation as a mad man. He wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and he is.” “So, he’s a nightmare to work for, but when you get him off the set, and he’s not in director mode, I really enjoy his character because he’s so awkward, so awkward. He has no social skills at all. He’s so endearing to watch. He’s vulnerable and vulnerable in real life, and then he becomes a tyrant on set.”

Her answer was reportedly more lighthearted than the way it seemed written, and it wasn’t entirely negative, but regardless: Hitler’s comment took on a life of its own, sparking countless headlines from other media outlets and allegedly catching the attention of “Transformers” producer Steven Spielberg, who deemed the comment to cross a line. Bye will say GQ In 2011, Spielberg said: Fire her now, although Spielberg said: He later denied it Having ever said this.

Bey explained more about his feelings for Fox in the GQ interview. Although he said her comments didn’t bother him, it’s hard not to read a little dissatisfaction into the way he talks about her:

“She was in a different world, on her BlackBerry. You have to stay focused. And, you know, the Hitler thing. (…) I’m not hurt, because I know that’s just Meghan. Meghan likes to get a response. And she’s doing it kind of the wrong way. I’m sorry, Meghan. I’m sorry I made you work 12 hours. I’m sorry I made you show up on time. Movies aren’t always warm and fuzzy.”

While most people assume that Foxx was fired because of Hitler’s comments, and while Bay implied in the GQ interview that he fired her because she was not mentally present on set, other reports suggest that her weight and appearance were Bay’s main motivation.

Megan Fox arrived on the set of Transformers 3 looking too pale, “underweight” and “unhealthy” for director Michael Bay’s taste, exacerbating tensions that eventually led her to walk away. Reported in 2010when Fox was still involved in production. Bay gave Fox some time to put together her look, but when she returned, the director expressed his displeasure in a way that prompted Fox to withdraw from the hugely successful sequel.

Fox’s appearance was vital because, as everyone involved in those films at the time seemed happy to admit, Michaela had been treated as eye candy first and a character second. “The main note for me (Bey) is to look attractive, so I do my best,” Fox said. Premiere in 2008. Bay reportedly ordered her to gain weight for “Revenge of the Fallen” as well (via Film blog) which contradicts its being Pressure to lose weight For filming the movie “Jennifer’s Body” (a movie released in the same year).

“(Michael Bay) portrays women in a way that appeals to the sexuality of a 16-year-old,” LaBeouf said. Hero complex In 2011, he admitted that Foxx “had a hard time accepting” being in such a “sex-driven role.” Anonymous source on the set of “Transformers 3”. Wrap said“Bay wants his actresses to look a certain way, and if they can’t meet his ridiculous standards of beauty, he gets rid of them.”

Although it has never been confirmed that Bey fired her for failing to meet his beauty standards, it is understandable why this narrative has proven to be persistent over the years. Bai did so immediately Fox was replaced by a Victoria’s Secret model Who had no acting experience. (We’ll talk more about Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in a bit.)

Although Bey’s treatment of Fox was poor, she eventually made it clear that she did not consider any of his actions to be predatory. “When it comes to my direct experience with Michael and Steven (Spielberg) for that matter, I have never been assaulted or harassed in what I felt was a sexual manner,” she wrote on her Instagram page in 2020. inside hook). She also addressed a rumor that was circulating at the time regarding an audition for the first live-action Transformers movie, where Bay supposedly forced her to seductively wash his car at his house.

“I was not a minor at the time and was not forced to wash someone’s cars or work on them in a manner alien to the material in the actual script,” Fox wrote. She added: “There were many other crew and staff, and at no time did I take my clothes off or anything similar.” She also mentioned in a 2018 interview with Andy Cohen She and Bey had long since buried the hatchet due to their differences over the “Transformers” group.

“We are good friends,” she said, noting that she would be willing to return to the “Transformers” series if Bay asked her to. Of course, she also admitted that by that point, the likelihood of the property returning to Michaela Banes seemed slim.

When it was first announced that Fox had been fired from “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” fan reaction was a mix of genuine disappointment combined with the usual dismissive comments about her character being eye candy. When it was announced that she would be replaced by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, it only confirmed the widespread belief that she was there for the sex appeal and nothing else.

Adding to this impression was the way in which the character of Carly, played by Huntington-Whiteley, was written. Except for a few lines establishing her relationship with Sam, it seemed as if the film’s writers just replaced Michaela’s name with Carly’s and kept everything else the same. She had the same general persona, had a car-related job that Michaela would have loved, and her relationship with Sam had already progressed to the same point that Sam and Michaela were slowly built to in the first two live-action Transformers films.

Everything about her story seemed like the natural ending to Michaela’s story, except that it was happening to some new love interest that the audience never connected with. The result was that the romantic subplot of “Dark of the Moon” was a disappointment to most fans, even though the action scenes in the rest of the film were as good as anything else Bay had done before. Even fans who were dismissive of Fox in real life and/or dismissive of Michaela as a character could still admit that the movie felt emotionally empty (and for a Michael Bay movie, that’s really saying something).

The good news for Fox is that while “Transformers” may have been the movie that put her on the map, it wasn’t the best movie on her resume by the time Bay fired her. That honor goes to “Jennifer’s Body,” a 2009 horror-comedy that was underrated in its time but has become very popular. It has since developed a strong cult following. The film played a lot with the public perception of Foxx, and proved that she was very capable of playing characters with real depth. Fox would even go on to outshine “Jennifer’s Body.” After more than 10 years with her exciting film “Until Death”.

In September 2009, Fox also hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live, in which she starred in one of the Lonely Island’s most underrated sketches: “The Date”. There, she played the strange love interest of one of Will Forte’s strangest characters. I have no idea what this drawing is, but I’m glad it exists:

However, Fox’s most popular role after “Transformers” was perhaps that of Reagan in seasons five and six of “New Girl.” Reagan is perhaps Fox’s funniest and most charming character. She’s someone who has managed to endear herself to most fans despite the unenviable role of being a short-term replacement for main character Jess (She is played by Zooey Deschanel, who briefly left New Girl. to go on maternity leave). Regan was only supposed to appear in the fifth season of the series, but she was popular enough that the show’s writers brought her back for an important arc in season six as well.

In other words, Fox’s “New Girl” character had the opposite dynamic as her “Transformers” character. While Michaela was supposed to have a long-term arc but was dropped before it could be completed, Michaela was never meant to have a multi-season arc but was given it anyway. “New Girl” may not have been as flashy a project as “Transformers,” but at least the series knew how to make the most of Fox’s talents.