Vanessa Kirby hates the "expectation" that she should use her "sexuality" to land roles.
The ‘Crown’ actress is a staunch supporter of the #MeToo movement and admitted she’s found herself in audition situations that left her feeling uncomfortable, such as when she had to passionately kiss an older actor who had already been cast in a project.
She recalled: "I remember sweating massively, and I left thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’ve just snogged this person for an hour and I feel really weird about it’, you know?
"And also the expectation with certain roles, it’s almost written in that [the character I play] uses her sexuality in some way to get something. It feels like you have to exploit that for the job."
The 30-year-old actress also finds it frustrating that many of the scripts she receives define the role in terms of the character’s appearance.
She told Harper’s Bazaar magazine: "The character will be defined by the colour of her hair, by how she looks, usually some reference to how sexy she is, all through the male gaze. But I’ve always felt like I don’t want to be the girl in hot pants feeling self-conscious and slightly out of my body, and trying to be something for somebody else – I won’t be me."
But in the wake of #MeToo and Time’s Up, Vanessa thinks there are "exciting" times ahead for women.
She said: "This time is just so exciting, don’t you think? Every day I wake up more passionate… We have a responsibility to portray women on screen that we identify with. There are so many women’s stories that haven’t been told yet, and we have an opportunity to go and find them."
The ‘Great Expectations’ star – who is in a relationship with Callum Turner – has a tight-knit group of friends, including fellow actress Jessica Brown Findlay, and she believes her pals are the true "great romances" in her life.
She said: "[Those friendships are] the great romances of your life – they’re the ones that stay through thick and thin."
Vanessa Kirby hates the prejudice she faces
