Film/TV
Amanda Bynes' Former Director Said She 'Looked Like a Monster'
by Myka Gayles-Greene
16 March 2022
There is no shortage of Hollywood horror stories for young actresses getting their big breaks in the early 2000s. From harmful dieting to verbal abuse by older male directors and producers to spiteful media tabloids, the pre-#MeToo entertainment industry saw a great deal of trauma — much of which is still being unpacked to this day. This week, Amanda Bynes posted a video to her new Instagram account video discussing the cruelties of one particular director.
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"I once did a movie where the director told me that in certain lights, I looked like a monster," she wrote in the caption, which also included reasons why she didn’t “look great in paparazzi pictures.” She stated, “The reason I don’t usually look great in paparazzi pictures is because I’m squinting in the sun. The videos and pictures I post are in a flattering light, or in the shade outside, without the sun blasting on my face.” In truth, however, no one should be expected to look perfect at all times as a hoard of cameras follow your every move. Amanda is resisting the negative comments though, by ending the caption with a laughing emoji — seemingly unfazed.
The actress, now a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, is no stranger to invasive criticisms regarding her appearance and lifestyle choices. In her early years as a teen idol alongside Lindsey Lohan and Hilary Duff (s/o to the iconic and insane “Raining Teens” 2003 Vanity Fair issue), Bynes experienced the tabloid-obsessed misogyny and invasive paparazzi that many peers went through. Within the last decade or so, she has experienced the pitfalls of alcohol abuse, with her hardships being snapped up by every media outlet. Whether it was when she showed up to court in a blonde wig or made tweets about “ugly” celebrities, the public consumed her erratic behavior as if it were a comedy skit on the Amanda Bynes Show.
The public breakdown led to her stint in a psychiatric facility and, ultimately, placed her in a court-ordered conservatorship managed by her parents.
Now sober and hopeful for the future, Amanda filed to end her nine year conservatorship this February and recently thanked her fans for their support. With her court date less than a week away, it’s great to see her in good spirits.
Photo via Getty/ Barry King/ WireImage