Having risen to fame in the late ’90s, Jennifer Love Hewitt was among the many starlets caught in the crosshairs of bubblegum misogyny in the early aughts, particularly when it came to tabloid media and paparazzi.
In a sprawling profile with Vulture tied to the return of scream queen Julie James in the legacy sequel I Know What You Did Last Summer, Hewitt said she only recently realized she experienced sexism en masse while viewing the documentary Framing Britney Spears, which exposes the harsh treatment the singer received from the public and media at the height of her fame and conservatorship.
“When I started watching it, I was like, ‘Oh, they talked to me like that, oh.’ I started crying for her. And then I realized I was crying for me,” the actress said.
The 9-1-1 mainstay said the reality of her experience “bothers” her moreso now as she realized “before I even knew what sex was, I was a sex symbol.” She continued of that era of pop culture: “All of a sudden, the pictures were of actresses stumbling out of clubs drunk. It was them at the grocery store looking terrible. It opened this very scary door.”
Hewitt added, “I don’t put blame on the people asking [inappropriate] questions. Nobody was saying, ‘Don’t talk to women like that. Don’t talk to little girls like that.’ But I worked hard on [I Know What You Did Last Summer]. I brought good stuff to it, and no one was talking about it. It was just ‘Boob, boob, boob’ everywhere. I didn’t just show up to wear the little blue top and run around,” referencing her iconic wardrobe from the 1997 original.
“I remember seeing the top for the first time, and I was like, ‘This is a small shirt. What’s happening here? We’re just going to let it fly? OK, great. Here we go. Running again. There they go! Bouncy-bounce! ’” she recalled. While at the Australian press junket for the slasher, Hewitt attempted to make a point by wearing a T-shirt that read “Silicone-free.” She said, “I was like, ‘I’ve had it.’ I wore that shirt, and I felt so empowered. And then, of course, nobody cared. I really wanted to be a good actor, and I was trying to give to the people watching. I was trying to outact the conversation around my body.”
Hewitt also recalled a particular low point that came as a result of an infamous People cover featuring the headline “Stop Calling Me Fat!” and paparazzi photos taken during a vacation: “I was having the time of my life … and they got the picture and then it was on the cover,” she remembered. “I don’t think I was ever really insecure until that cover. And then when it happened, I don’t know that I’ve ever recovered from it.”
The Heartbreakers star said she credits her role in 9-1-1 and the opportunity to return to her IKWYDLS character as avenues that are more about her “body of work” rather than her body. Though initially hesitant to return to the horror franchise because of audiences’ opinions on her age and if Julie’s characterization would be done justice in the requel, Hewitt said it was “healing” to step back on set, especially with a wardrobe she could control: “Nobody’s going to be talking about my boobs. ‘Oh, you want me to flash you? They’re down here.’”
Released July 18 in theaters, the reboot follows a new cast of young people — Chase Sui Wonders, Madelyn Cline, Tyriq Withers, Sarah Pidgeon and Jonah Hauer-King — in Southport, who receive a threatening anonymous message about their actions the summer prior. Facing a maniacal, fish hook-wielding murderer, they seek advice from the survivors of the last bout of violence in their seaside town: Hewitt’s Julie and Freddie Prinze Jr.’s Ray.
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