Jessica Alba has recently opened up about what it was like to grow up in an industry filled with "predators".
In a new interview with CNN's Chris Wallace on an episode of "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?", the actor discussed how she had to alter her "energy" in order to avoid any run-ins with potentially dangerous people.
When asked about being "objectified" as a sex symbol in the early 2000s, the 41-year-old explained that she "understood" that she was helping to "sell" the product by being in the public eye.
"I guess I understood that I needed to help sell the product," she told the host. "And they sell it how they do, so I understood it as a business decision and a strategy.
"And so I was able to distance myself from it. But I guess, you know, you can't change other people's minds about what they may or may not think of you."
Alba, who is best known for her roles in the movies Honey, Never Been Kissed, and Fantastic Four, then added that she doesn't think that there's anything wrong with "owning your own sexuality" despite not being that person herself.
"I don't think that there's anything wrong with owning your sexuality," she continued. 'I just frankly was definitely not that person. I was very nervous about all of that, and I was quite uncomfortable in my own skin."
However, Alba went on to say that she made a conscious effort to give off "masculine energy" so she wouldn't be "preyed on" by Hollywood predators.
"It wasn't until I became a mom that I really started to even see myself as a woman or a sexual being or someone who owned her power and her femininity," the actor explained. "At that time, I felt like I was very much having to put up this armor of masculinity and masculine energy so I wouldn't, you know, be preyed on because there were a lot of predators in Hollywood from age 12 to 26."
The star emphasized that she was "tough" during that period saying: "I was a warrior. I put up that energy. I was really tough, man. I curse like a sailor and I think I tried to make myself as unavailable as possible so that I wouldn't be taken advantage of."
It's no secret that the entertainment industry has been riddled with controversy surrounding predatory behavior. You only have to look at the past decade to see the scandals surrounding big Hollywood names unwind as part of the #MeToo movement.
This became the main reason that Alba decided to take a step back from the world of acting.
"I think at the time, I felt a bit tapped out with entertainment, with where it was at. It was pre-#MeToo movement and I think this is a very different Hollywood today than it was 14 years ago," Alba told Wallace. "I just took a step back and kind of let it do its thing.
"Entertainment was really like — the town was very different."
Now, the 41-year-old is more focused on making memories with her family as well as her own personal business ventures which include her conscious health and lifestyle brand Honest as well as its sister beauty company Honest Beauty.