Helen Hunt may be Hollywood royalty, but she’s no beauty queen.

The Oscar-winning actress, 61, opened up about the inner turmoil she’s experienced in the entertainment industry due to Hollywood’s intense beauty standards in a June cover story for Flow Space.

Hunt, best known for her roles in the sitcom “Mad About You” and acclaimed dramas “As Good as It Gets” and “Twister,” rose to fame in the 1990s when celebrity tabloids routinely scrutinized stars’ physical appearance.

“It felt impossible not to internalize the way you’re supposed to look,” Hunt reflected. “And (there was) a certain amount of misery and shame around not looking exactly that way.”

While Hunt rarely discusses the image pressures of being in Hollywood, she said she eventually reached a turning point. “I realized, ‘This could quietly ruin your whole life.’ I made a decision: I’m not playing. Not going to (let it) take up a lot of space in my mind,” she said.

Hunt added that the self-help book “The Only Diet There Is” by Sondra Ray was helpful in shifting her perspective on food and body image. “What I took from it is eat what you want and love every bite, period,” she said.

The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress isn’t the only female veteran to get candid on rejecting beauty standards. “Baywatch” alum Pamela Anderson and actress Justine Bateman have spoken out about embracing aging and stepping out in makeup-free looks.

In a 2023 interview with “60 Minutes Australia,” Bateman, who’d become the subject of online commentary over her “old” looks, defended her aged appearance and said cosmetic procedures “would erase” the authority she’s gained over the years.

“I like feeling that I am a different person now than I was when I was 20,” Bateman said at the time. “I like looking in the mirror and seeing that evidence. … I think my face represents who I am. I like it.”

Helen Hunt Opens Up About Feeling ‘Misery and Shame’ Because of Hollywood Beauty Standards

Hunt credits one book for helping her heal her relationship with food

Helen Hunt is divorcing herself from the pressures of Hollywood.

The Hacks actress, 61, talked about the pressures that comes with being a part of the entertainment industry, and revealed in an interview with Flow Space that not having her mental wellbeing affected by the demands of her job has taken work.

“It felt impossible not to internalize the way you’re supposed to look,” Hunt told the outlet, “And [there was] a certain amount of misery and shame around not looking exactly that way.”

Though Hunt noted that she rarely ever likes talking about that aspect of her Hollywood experience, she put her foot down in order to prevent the pressure from getting to her.

“I realized, ‘This could quietly ruin your whole life,’” she continued. “I made a decision: I’m not playing. Not gonna [let it] take up a lot of space in my mind.”

Hunt’s longtime friend and Mad About You costar, Paul Reiser, supported her statement, saying, “She has always been terrifically centered and forthright about setting up boundaries.”

As part of her health journey, Hunt revealed that she sought guidance through the book, The Only Diet There Is, by spiritual leader Sondra Ray.

“What I took from it,” she added, “is eat what you want and love every bite, period.” Hunt credited the book with helping her heal her relationship with food.

The Twister actress also revealed in the feature that she isn’t falling for uncomfortable heels being a red carpet requirement. The actress reflected on her experience at the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty and revealed that her open-toed heels placed her in a lot of pain.

“I was like, ‘This has to be done. I have to be done now — I can’t walk!’ ” she recalled. “I cannot walk. I cannot walk to get my drink at the bar or my In-N-Out Burger, which they serve. There has to be a new ethos about women and shoes. I want them to invent a new way to do it without hurting your feet!”

s

Other career highlights include her role in the long-running New York couple comedy show Mad About You, for which Hunt won three Golden Globes.

Hunt has also gotten behind the camera with directorial feature credits including Then She Found Me (2007), in which she co-starred opposite Colin Firth, and mother and son surfing world comedy-drama Ride (2014).