Apr 27, 2008, 6:00 GMT
Christina Ricci is paranoid she is too fat to be a Hollywood actress.
04/26/2008 - Christina Ricci - "Speed Racer" World Premiere - Arrivals - Nokia Theater - Los Angeles, CA. USA © Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos
The 'Speed Racer' star - who has previously been treated for anorexia - thinks she would be dismissed as overweight if she was starting out in the film industry today.
Ricci - who shot to fame after appearing in the film 'Mermaids' aged just nine - said: "Seriously, if I was just starting out in this business, I'd probably have to lose 20lbs.
"As a teenager, my favorite rejection was, 'She looks too healthy', which of course translates as, 'She needs to lose weight.' But I never had any illusions. I knew I would never be cast as the pretty girl. I went through an awkward adolescence and had braces."
The 28-year-old actress believes she now gets better roles because she is not as conventionally beautiful as some of her rivals.
She added to Britain's Independent newspaper: "This business is all about appearances, which leaves a lot of the more interesting roles to actresses like me."
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