Kate Beckinsale says that her "very high IQ" of 152 is a "handicap" in Hollywood.
The actor, best known for her role in Underworld, made the claim to Howard Stern on his radio show, per New York Post.
"Every single doctor, every single person I've ever come across has said, 'You'd be so much happier if you were 30% less smart'," she told Stern.
"It's no good to me, though. It's really not helpful to me in my career. I just think it might have been a handicap actually."
She then joked that since taking the test she had probably "burned a few brain cells".
Watch Kate Beckinsale's appearance on the Howard Stern Show:
Per The Times, Beckinsale studied French and Russian literature at Oxford University but dropped out before graduating to fully pursue acting.
The average person has an IQ between 85 and 115. Beckinsale's score of 152 places her in the top 1% of the population.
Beckinsale's comments sparked major backlash on social media, as fans criticized the actor for "bragging" about herself.
On Friday morning, she broke her silence over a handful of harsh comments nitpicking her interview with Stern.
"I was asked multiple times in a recent interview if knew my IQ," the English actress began in a lengthy statement.
She went on: "I didn't answer the question the first few times, but I did tell the truth that my mum had had me tested when I was young, and that it was high. I didn't remember the number, and after being pressed several times to call my mother and ask her, I did."
At this point, she found herself in a dilemma to "tell the truth," lie, "refuse to answer the question," or "pretend it was lower."
"I told the truth and some journalists have been triggered by this," the mom-of-one went on. "Are we really jumping on women for answering a question truthfully about their intelligence or education?"
Beckinsale asked: "Are we really still requiring women to dumb themselves down in order not to offend?"
"I went to an all-girls school where I never had to worry about raising my hand making me possibly unfeminine-and I went to a university in which intellectual debate was not only encouraged, but the entire point of attending," she added.
Beckinsale also claimed her latest comments were "deliberately twisted into signifying ones perceived superiority or arrogance."
"It's abundantly clear that this is still the case, and these journalists who spun this into me 'bragging' is a part of the exact reason I say it was and is a handicap," she added.
While saying she doesn't usually comment on "bulls**t" it's important to her that no other women "should feel they need to lie or dumb down under ANY circumstances so as not to be a target."
"Facts: I’ve done some good movies and some s*** movies. I’ve made some good and bad choices in my personal life," the Underworld star concluded.
"My IQ is 152 and if that triggers you ...that’s your problem."