Back in the late 90s, Jennifer Love Hewitt was the next big thing.
She burst onto the scene in Party Of Five. Then she got her bearings as a "scream queen" in I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Eventually she'd move to TV for the critically acclaimed Ghost Whisperer. Hewitt is now a featured actor on the Fox show 9-1-1.
But after watching Blaming Britney Spears, Hewitt said she wasn't looking back on her early career with as much fondness.
Hewitt, now 42, said a section of the documentary had her thinking about when she would be asked "gross" questions about her body in her early career.
Party Of Five premiered in 1994, when Hewitt was just 15.
"It's interesting, I just watched the Britney Spears documentary, and there's that whole section in there talking about her breasts..."
"At the time that I was going through it, and interviewers were asking what now would be incredibly inappropriate, gross things, it didn't feel that way. I mean, I was in barely any clothing the whole movie.
"For some reason, in my brain, I was able to just go: OK, well, I guess they wouldn't be asking if it was inappropriate."
Whenever I read stories like this, I always reflect on what I’ve learned. Am I repeating this & reducing people who… https://t.co/OMtytmdicC— That Woman in 12B (@That Woman in 12B) 1617222515.0
Jennifer Love Hewitt also talked to me about how #FramingBritneySpears made her rethink the gross interview questio… https://t.co/HYX3tsBS2B— ilana kaplan (@ilana kaplan) 1617041178.0
@HuffPost i love the movie Heartbreakers & thought she did a good job acting in it. I am glad things are changing.— Cora (@Cora) 1617127765.0
"I’m really grateful that we’re in a time where, hopefully, that narrative is going to change for young girls who a… https://t.co/siB1twPfsP— JB (@JB) 1617239285.0
I, for one, concur : Jennifer Love Hewitt Says The Media Obsession With Her Body Was "Gross" And I Am Here To Take… https://t.co/XgYestoHjL— Joe Bar (@Joe Bar) 1617199115.0
But now, Hewitt says she looks back on it "and [goes], ew."
"And it really started with 'I Know What You Did Last Summer,' because that was the first time that I had worn a low top, and on 'Party of Five,' my body was very covered.
"At a press junket for 'I Know' or 'I Still Know What You Did Last Summer,' I remember purposely wearing a T-shirt that said 'silicone free' on it because I was so annoyed, and I knew something about boobs was gonna be the first question out of their mouths."
I Know What You Did Last Summer was released in 1997 when Hewitt was only 18.
Jennifer Love Hewitt talks about what it was like knowing 50% of an interview would be about her boobs (I hope tha… https://t.co/LrM3gS1aCN— Bitter Script Reader (@Bitter Script Reader) 1617138883.0
*sighs* I remember really thinking JLH was pretty, and believe it or not it was her eyes. But I knew that people ob… https://t.co/DfYDmz0aHO— Kladdagh Kottontail hopping down the bunny trail (@Kladdagh Kottontail hopping down the bunny trail) 1617128224.0
Hewitt also said that by the time Heartbreakers came out in 2001, she was absolutely sick of the body questions.
"I was really tired of that conversation. With 'Heartbreakers', that was a big part of it."
"I was disappointed that it was all about body stuff, because I had really worked hard in that movie to do a good job as an actress."
Hewitt was just 22 in 2001.
WHO is turning Heartbreakers (2001) into a musical??? @mattredmond22 should we co-commission— Kim Blanck (@Kim Blanck) 1580695742.0
Heartbreakers 2001 https://t.co/7D5ioC37dm https://t.co/tJ8wwMSvWT— Iggy’s Kitty Juice (@Iggy’s Kitty Juice) 1613927839.0
justice for Heartbreakers (2001) https://t.co/g7wHdrNNwD https://t.co/3a5WvuETjH— keith garrett 🌼 (@keith garrett 🌼) 1608747793.0
[i just want someone to remake heartbreakers (2001), a perfect movie i still think about about once a week on average]— Bim Adewunmi (@Bim Adewunmi) 1558484699.0
jennifer love hewitt had some Looks in HEARTBREAKERS (2001) https://t.co/iafxSWdE5l— chilly cheese fries 🥶🧀🍟 (@chilly cheese fries 🥶🧀🍟) 1612754848.0
She concluded:
"Now that I'm older, I think: Gosh, I wish that I had known how inappropriate that was so I could have defended myself somehow or just not answered those questions."
"I laughed it off a lot of the time, and I wish maybe I hadn't."
Hollywood and the American public have a lot to answer for when it comes to the treatment of women in the entertainment industry.