Jennifer Love Hewitt, 44, is embracing getting older! The former Ghost Whisperer star appeared on the December 5 episode of the Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum podcast and opened up about being in her 20s in Hollywood. “At 23, 24, 25, I didn’t feel self-confident,” the brunette beauty explained. Jennifer also added that although she was “a looker” in her 20s, she did not feel “in her body.”
The 44-year-old starlet admitted that during her early career years, she often felt “watched” by the public eye. “I felt watched. I felt like I had to be everything for everybody all the time,” Jennifer said during the episode. “I was called sexy before I ever knew what being sexy was. Like, I was 17 years old on the cover of Maxim, and I had no idea why I was on the cover of Maxim.” Despite her confusion at the time, Jennifer called being on the cover of the magazine an “honor.”
Prior to her time on Ghost Whisperer, Jennifer starred in the 2001 film Heartbreakers directed by David Mirkin. During the podcast, the now mother-of-three went on to recall that the director allegedly asked her to be “sexier” in the film. “I remember doing Heartbreakers at 23 and the director was like ‘we just need you to be sexier,'” she continued. “And I had to pull him aside and I was like, ‘I don’t know what that means… I’m only 23.'”
Now, when people ask Jennifer to be that younger version of herself, she explained that version is a part that she has outgrown. “That girl was so insecure and so confused and trying her best,” she shared. “But this girl — who may not look [that] way — I like who I am. I feel good. I’m fine.” When the host asked Jennifer if she “feels sexy” today, she noted that she does but, “not everyday.” Jennifer then added that people need to allow others to “change and grow and look different.”
Earlier in the same interview, the 9-1-1 alum addressed the recent hate she received online for using a filter on her photo. “Aging in Hollywood is really hard. You can’t do anything right,” Jennifer quipped. “I was getting my hair done, and I had not a stitch of makeup on. So, I threw on a filter. I really gave it no thought.” Soon enough, her followers took to the comments and called her “unrecognizable.” She defended herself and added, “I realized I can do no right.”