What Megan Fox Looks for in a Man (and Turtle)
If you're a mutant, misfit reptile, you might have a shot
Since turning every head in the room and upstaging giant alien robots in the first two Transformers films, Megan Fox has proven her mettle in roles more substantial: In flicks like Friends with Kids and This is 40, the bombshell got a chance to flex her dramatic muscles.The trend continues even in this weekend's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, where Fox demonstrates a soulfulness as a broadcast journalist who helps the titular shell-capped warriors battle global baddies.
Sure, we’ve known her name and her supernatural beauty for close to a decade, but Fox is almost deliciously late-blooming as a genuine actress. Perhaps it’s that she’s drawing upon 30 herself, married to longtime beau Brian Austin Green, and mother to two toddlers, but Fox seems more in charge of her destiny than ever before. Here, she shares her secret to making a long-term relationship work, suggests how guys can woo a "normal woman," and yes, reveals her favorite Ninja Turtle.
Men's Health: In a film rich with preposterous happenings, one of the most giddily unbelievable things about Ninja Turtles is that its human hero is, uh, a journalist. That couldn’t possibly happen in real life, could it?
Megan Fox: [Laughs] Real crime-beat investigative journalism does seem to be really dwindling, especially in this day and age with everything being centered around iPhones. Everyone’s a journalist today, essentially. Every pedestrian on the street has the potential of capturing a big story on their mobile device and then selling it and making a lot of money. So the fact that I play this heroic, old-school journalist is almost archaic, because the social media has changed everything in our world. The collective humanity, as it was, has such a voice these days, and that’s never really existed before.
MH: As a celebrity, that must be kind of a Wild West situation for you.
Fox: You have to be aware that whenever you leave your house, you’re probably going to be photographed by someone somewhere. Maybe those pictures will surface. Maybe they won’t. Maybe those videos will surface. Maybe they won’t. But you have to always be aware that it could be happening. I guess that’s bizarre. There are a lot of people who think celebrities shouldn’t complain, that the photography is just a price to pay for having this career. What they don’t understand is that this is all stuff that’s really new.
Even for me, when I first started acting, the Internet wasn't what it is now. It was just starting to take off. Celebrity blogs and all of that intense coverage were just starting in the early 2000s. So most of us who got into this industry weren’t prepared for the constant vigilance that being a celebrity requires today, and there’s no school for learning how to handle it well or gracefully. It’s a hard thing to figure out. A lot of people don’t deal with it well because they’re either too paranoid or they’re doing things they probably shouldn’t be doing in public. [Laughs] You have to assume everything is going to end up online, even if you’re alone in a hotel elevator.
MH: Why'd you choose to do a film like Ninja Turtles?
Fox: I’ve been a super-fan of the Turtles forever, so I wanted to be in this movie no matter what, whether I was playing April [the journalist] or just some extra in the background. I just wanted to be a part of it. My kids are definitely too young to watch this movie right now, but I’m very aware that in the future I’ll be able to show it to them and hopefully they’ll think for a minute that I’m awesome or that I’m magic. Doesn’t every parent want that?
MH: Who is your favorite Turtle?
Fox: Michelangelo. He’s my favorite. He’s carefree, a free spirit. He doesn’t try to be anything that he’s not. He’s okay with the fact that he’s not the leader. He’s okay with the fact that he’s a weird mutant turtle. He’s not worried about anything. He’s, like, “Just give me the pizza, brah.”
MH: Are these the things you like in a man—or, uh, just a turtle?
Fox: [Laughs] No, I definitely find these things attractive in a man. What’s weird is: I definitely married a Leonardo. My husband is a Leonardo. He’s this emotionally controlled, neutral man on the surface. Calm, placid. Michelangelo is the clown. I guess I’m attracted to both.
MH: You and Brian have been together for 10 years. That’s centuries in Hollywood terms. What’s the key to making a relationship work?
Fox: You can’t live in a fantasyland and think that everything’s going to be perfect all the time. You will go through phases where you’re just not getting along. You’re not communicating well. That’s going to happen, and it’s going to feel impossible to you sometimes. It might not even make sense to you sometimes. Arguments are normal. You have to be patient and sit through that and remember that this is a part of human communication and interaction. You’re going to have these conflicts with anyone. It’s not necessarily just that person.
You have two people, separate beings, trying to share one life together. That’s always going to have difficulties. Brian is my soulmate. I happen to believe that. He’s definitely meant to be the father of my children. That makes it easier for me to work through things, because I always see the spiritual side of things. I look at the end game. If you don’t see life that way, I’m not sure what advice I can give. But I believe that every interaction is an act of fate in some way, that we’re meant to interact with them, and it’s our job to flesh that out and experience it to the fullest and learn the lessons we’re meant to.
MH: So I guess we don’t really have a shot with Megan Fox. But maybe you’ve got some good advice to help us out with other perfect women. What do we need to know?
Fox: I don’t know if I can speak on behalf of all women. I don’t have a good gauge of whether or not I’m a normal woman or not. [Laughs] But I can tell you that you can never be too sensitive. There are a lot of guys who feel they can’t let down that strong front that a lot of guys have. They think if they show weakness or vulnerability that they’re not sexy anymore or attractive. In my opinion, you can’t be too open or too gentle or kind or sensitive. If you really want to work on a relationship and have one that lasts, you have to be willing to go deep into human psychology and emotion. If you don’t want to go there, you can be a serial dater, and I guess that’s okay, but if you want a relationship with a woman, you have to be introspective and look at yourself and your family and where you’ve been and where you’re going.
MH: You’ve said before that in your youth you were terribly bullied, a real misfit. Is this one of the ways that Ninja Turtles speaks to you?
Fox: This is a movie about four outcasts who can’t even surface in the city because they’re so misunderstood and rejected. They live in the sewers. But at the same time, they’re heroes. Haven’t we all felt like that at some point in our lives? That rejection or isolation or lack of acceptance? But I think most of us also maintain some sort of fantasy in our minds that we are heroes, if only secretly, that we could really be amazing if only given a chance. That we could all be loved one day. I like that message. Kids get ganged up on. They get bullied. But you can always think of yourself as being transcendent or heroic. I think we all are.
MH: We understand you’re a voracious reader. What’s a great book we should read?
Fox: A book that I love, that really changed my perspective, is Journey of Souls. It’s this guy, Dr. Michael Newton, who was skeptical and became an expert on past-life regression, and he started doing reporting and investigating on lives between lives. It’s all these case studies about where the soul goes between incarnations. It’s a really interesting read. It changes your perspective on life. It takes away the whole victim mentality that a lot of us have. It gives you an understanding that the things that happen in your life are either your choices or opportunities and lessons the universe has put before you. Life on earth is like college and we’re all just trying to pass the courses. I love that book.
MH: Any other recommendations?
Fox: Go watch Point Break again on DVD. It's the ultimate classic and you’ve gotta love that. Eat a tremendous amount of protein and fiber, and cut out all of your carbs if you can. And be nice to other people. I think that’s a good start.