Cameron Diaz said that she would laugh through "heavy, heavy misogyny" in Hollywood in a bid to "get through unscathed".
In an interview with Michelle Visage on her new BBC Rule Breakers podcast, the actress has recalled sexism when the cameras weren't rolling - particularly in the 90s and early 00s.
Diaz said it was then when there were stricter "parameters" about the amount of what could be done regarding sexism in the industry.
The Holiday star said that she took roles in films such as Charlie's Angels and Shrek that subverted typical narratives for women in film.
That included the "anti-fairytale" message in Shrek, or the desire she and costars Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu had to be "badass women" in Charlie's Angels, she added.
"I certainly didn't do as much as could be done now because of the awareness of everybody, you know, sort of like the #MeToo," Diaz said. "The 1990s, the early aughts, there was still heavy, heavy misogyny. Just the level of exploitation of powers, it just laid on the entire industry."
"It was the normal thing to do sort of like" — she lets out a superficial laugh — "and just be able to get through unscathed," she went on.
"Be the one who participated enough to make everybody feel taken care of, but not be a victim. Be in that position, but to know how to navigate the whole thing because it was happening all day every day."
She added: "Fame is very infantilizing. It's very much about keeping somebody coddled in a state of like, we see a little child and think, 'It's so cute, I want it to always be cute, and if I keep it cute by always treating it cute, maybe it'll stay cute forever.' And that's how people treat you.'"
Elsewhere in the interview, Diaz revealed that her appearance is no longer something she's concerned with.
Diaz opened up about how much her life has changed since stepping away from acting following her performance as Miss Hannigan in 2014's Annie.
The actress confessed that once upon a time she found herself - and others around her in the entertainment industry - focusing solely on appearances.
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