This week, otsoNY is running a special feature on actress Megan Fox. Today's focus is the film "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows", which was shot in New York City, in particular 42nd Street near to Grand Central Terminal.

Forthcoming projects for Fox include “Think Like a Dog” opposite Josh Duhamel, the drama comedy “Big Gold Brick”, alongside Oscar Isaac, Andy García, Lucy Hale, and Emory Cohen, directed by Brian Petsos, and in “Midnight in the Switchgrass” opposite Emile Hirsch and Bruce Willis, directed by Randall Emmett.

The media have often compared Fox to actress Angelina Jolie, dubbing her the "next Angelina Jolie", also affected her image. Amid this and reports that she was to replace Jolie in a new Lara Croft film, Fox commented that the comparisons indicate a lack of creativity on the part of the media, and attributed them to both she and Jolie being brunette, having tattoos, cursing, and mentioning and joking about sex.

In 2009, Fox's public image came under scrutiny when an unsigned letter from three crew members of “Transformers“ defended director Michael Bay against accusations made by Fox about his on-set behaviour, including a comparison with Adolf Hitler. In response to the letter alleging that Fox's on-set behaviour was unpleasant and contrasts her public persona, Bay stated he did not condone the letter or Fox's outlandish quotes, but said her crazy quips were part of her crazy charm, and that they still work well together. A production assistant who worked on “Transformers” also stated that he never saw Fox act inappropriately on set. Fox said the letter's claims were false, and that she had privately spoken with the parties involved. She said she was very fortunate to be a part of the franchise, and was looking forward to continuing her work. DiPaolo concluded that Fox's criticism of the media sexually objectifying girls and women was in stark contrast to her sex symbol status.

The increased media exposure was difficult for Fox, who acknowledged being shy and insecure, to adjust to. It also positioned her as a potential role model, and later led to her being typecast. She rejected being a formal role model, but said that she could make young girls feel strong and intelligent and be outspoken and fight for what they think is right, and that she was a different role model for girls that maybe America was not comfortable with. She considered being typecast as attractive an opportunity to surprise people when she gave a good performance in a film, but said she was interested in portraying less sexualised characters.

Fox's overexposure in the media led several men's websites, such as AskMen, to boycott her on 4th August 2009, although some refused to do so, feeling that the boycott was a publicity stunt and therefore hypocritical. In response to the media attention, Fox told magazine Nylon, in September of that year, that the studio wanted to make sure the film would make $700 million, so they oversaturated the media with their stars and that she did not want to have people get completely sick of her before she had even done something legitimate. She became much less prominent in the media by 2010, after starring in the less commercially successful films “Jonah Hex” and “Passion Play”. That same year, Fox mentioned that her biggest regret was that she had assisted the media in making her into a cartoon character. But didn’t regret what had happened to her.

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