The cult of celebrity turned me off, and when the opportunities came along for me to play different characters, that's what I went for rather than the safe choices.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I went from being totally unknown to getting stopped every time I went out. I always wanted to be successful, but I have never wanted to become a celebrity. I never, ever, craved that.
I wanted to be involved in TV and film in some capacity, so a compromise, because acting seemed unrealistic, and so risky, was to get into the production side. And it was a really fortunate, smart move looking back on it, because it gave me perspective on another side of the business.
Hollywood infected my brain and I really valued the wrong things in life, but I changed dramatically.
So the only things I was being allowed to audition for were small roles in comedies. It broke my heart. No one would see me for anything else. I knew, in order to open up my career, I had to leave or that's all I would ever be given.
What attracted me to acting, from the start, was playing different characters. I'm not a massive fan of just playing myself on screen.
The biggest effect celebrity had on me was that I stopped being open and receptive and started to walk around with my head down.
I've always felt that celebrity was wonderful for a lot of the perks that it could give you.
I didn't want to escape my life and become a big actress and live my dreams. That was never the way it was; it was just these amazing opportunities that happened.
Celebrity was fun, and I had a good time.
For me, becoming a celebrity was like being in the eye of a hurricane. Suddenly, I was an international cover girl. Everybody was lapping up my Hemingwayness. They wanted to rub elbows with me or brush up against me.