Kat Dennings spoke with People magazine about the challenges she faced at the beginning of her acting journey, including the harsh treatment she endured from casting directors.
Reflecting on her early years in the industry, Dennings shared that casting directors were often ‘very cruel,’ even when discussing child actors.
“The time that I was auditioning and starting to act, it was a very different environment than it is now,” she told People. “There was not a lot of inclusivity at all. It was very harsh. There was a lot of extremely negative feedback and people would not hold back.”
Dennings added, “It was pretty crazy thinking about it. I’m like, ‘How can anyone say that about a little kid? This is insane.’ For example, I was 12. I’d go into an audition and I’d do it, and my manager would call me and I’d be like, ‘How’d it go?’ And they’d be like, ‘Well, they thought you weren’t pretty enough and you’re fat.’”
Despite these experiences, Dennings said she maintained a ‘very strong’ mindset, choosing to reject the negativity and believe in herself.
“That was my attitude,” explained Dennings. “For some reason, it didn’t break my spirit. I was like, ‘I’ll show them.’ I guess props to my parents, because they were like, ‘They’re idiots. Don’t listen to them.’ And I was like, ‘They’re idiots, I’m not.’”
Dennings expressed gratitude for how much the industry has changed, describing today’s environment as “much softer, kinder” and more inclusive. “There’s body positivity, there’s inclusivity, there’s representation, and there was none of that before. It was really gross,” she said.
Kat Dennings is best known for her roles as Max Black in ‘2 Broke Girls’ (2011–2017) and Darcy Lewis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), starting with ‘Thor’ (2011).
She began her acting career in 2000 and has appeared in several notable films, including ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’ (2005), ‘Big Momma’s House 2’ (2006), ‘Charlie Bartlett’ (2007), ‘The House Bunny’ (2008), ‘Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist’ (2008), ‘Shorts’ (2009), ‘Defendor’ (2009), and ‘Suburban Gothic’ (2014).
