Mena Suvari Rebelled Against Hollywood, Purposely Chooses Smaller Roles

There’s a reason we haven’t seen much of Mena Suvari in films lately. The actress recently confirmed that she has been purposefully rebelling against Hollywood, fame, and everything else that goes with them.

Despite early success in films, shooting to fame with the Sam Mendes Oscar-winning drama American Beauty, the 33-year-old actress confessed that she “got really frustrated” with fame. The then-20-year-old appeared naked in the film’s promotional posters, covered in rose petals. All of her new-found fame and her self-confessed naivety about stardom began to wear on her. She said that she was forced to grow up quickly and ultimately rebelled against Hollywood by intentionally choosing offbeat film roles, reports MSN.

“I got really frustrated with [the industry], and I felt very rebellious towards it, because I didn’t feel like I was in control of my life, and that bothered me,” she told British newspaper The Independent, via the Belfast Telegraph.

Feeling out of control of her own life, Suvari was confronted with a choice:

“I had to stay true to who I was, and pursue the kinds of things I was interested in. I decided to go that route. There were things I chose not to work on, because it didn’t do anything for me.”

The Hollywood celebrity lifestyle isn’t for her, and Suvari said that she prefers artistic projects to status pieces.

“I’ve been to parties where people have walked up to me and said, ‘I will do whatever it takes to become famous’. And that’s scared the hell out of me!” she recalled. “[I’ve got] a love-hate relationship. When did it all become about celebrity and perfection? Especially in Los Angeles.”

Do you like Mena Suvari? Do you think she should take on more mainstream roles?