Megan Fox was angry while filming “Jennifer’s Body” because of “Fame”, Paparazzi

IN Jennifer’s body, Megan FoxThe character goes through a lot. During the filming of the film, she was too.

At a special Los Angeles screening of the 2009 cult classic on Saturday, Oct. 25, Fox, 39, reflected on her headspace during filming. For the actress – who had just shot to new levels of stardom thanks to her breakout role in 2007’s Transformers — It was a difficult time, she revealed at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures event.

Asked if she could go back and advise her younger self as she prepared to film Jennifer’s bodyFox recalled how “lost” and furious she was during that period, feelings that stemmed from her treatment in the film industry, particularly from the paparazzi.

“Oh, I don’t know if I would give myself advice. I think where I was at that point in my life, so lost, so full of the anger I had at how I had been treated in the industry,” Fox said, “and how I was dealing with fame and the constant … at that time, before we started filming.”

Fox then shared an anecdote from the 2009 premiere of the supernatural horror comedy, which centers on the friendship between Jennifer Check (Fox) and Needy Lesnicki (Amanda Seyfried).

“I just left a premiere for something where I had to go — I have to go — and I remember the paparazzi were so ruthless at the time — the way they talked to women,” she recalled. “And I went outside just to try to get to my car, and they’re all shooting. And one guy said, ‘Megan, why are you such a motherfucker?’ And another guy says, ‘Megan, do you think you’re overrated? The internet says so, and I’m just trying to do my job.

“I was asked to be at this premiere. I’m trying to get to my car. And so I had all this sadness and grief and also anger and rage that needed a place to go,” Fox continued. “And like I said, to be able to just be allowed to be hung up even in between takes or maybe the whole time we were there, that was very rewarding for me.”

The star was referring to a moment earlier during the screening event when she recalled how she resonated with Jennifer – who is undergoing a supernatural transformation beyond her control – and how embodying the character allowed her to tap into “qualities” she couldn’t anywhere else.

“I read the script and I think it just resonated with me because there’s something about it, whether it’s just perceived or not, I felt like I was being persecuted at that time in my career, and I struggled a lot with fame and was kind of traumatized by fame,” Fox said.

“And so I resonated with the deeper layers of… you know, before she becomes a monster, she’s just a teenage girl sacrificed for someone else’s gain,” the star continued. “And it resonated because that’s kind of how I got… I got into this business, I think I was 19 when I made my first big movie, and it felt like it reflected these energies that were within myself.”

Fox, who embodies the now cult-favorite character, said, “also gave me a place to put those qualities of myself that are really unsuspended, that aren’t appropriate to express every day of your life, but are still there. And so there was something so fun about tapping into that darker feminine energy that no one really wants to allow.”

“It was very healing for me,” Fox later explained, “because I was really struggling at the time. And if I had been able to warn myself or give myself advice or have any kind of grounding or clarity, I don’t think you would have gotten the performance that you got.”

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The story of Jennifer’s body may continue sometime soon, screenwriter Diablo Cody teased to PEOPLE last year. While talking about her latest film, Lisa Frankensteinthe Oscar-winning author, 47, said she’s hopeful a reboot or sequel to the beloved teen horror is “going to happen” soon.

Star Seyfried, 39, has also teased a sequel. When she looks back on her previous roles in a video for GQ earlier this year, the actress said she’s “looking forward to the sequel” and said she’d be game to reprise her role as Nedy.

“They’re working on it,” Seyfried teased of the rumored second installment. “I already gave the thumbs up. I was like, ‘When you’re ready, I’m ready’ … We all just had a lot of fun, so I want to celebrate that by doing a sequel.”