Whether we like it or not, Hollywood can be one hell of a superficial place – something which Kate Beckinsale reminded us of during a recent interview with Graham Norton.

Appearing on the Corkman's chat show over the weekend, the British actress admitted that while filming Pearl Harbour in 2001, her talent as an actress was much less important than the emphasis which was placed on her physical appearance.

Opening up about her first meeting with director Michael Bay, 42-year-old Kate joked: "I think he was baffled by me because my boobs weren't bigger than my head and I wasn't blonde. I don't think I fit the type of actress Michael Bay had met before."

Admitting that securing the role hinged one particular condition, Kate continued: "But [I] was told that if I got the part, I'd have to work out. And I just didn't understand why a 1940s nurse would do that."

And the scrutiny didn't stop there either, ladies.

Telling Graham and the audience that her director made a point of categorising her looks on each and every press junket, Kate explained: "When he was asked about me, he'd say, ‘Kate wasn't so attractive that she would alienate the female audience.’”

"He kept saying it everywhere we went, and we went to a lot of places," she added.

We know what we'd have like to have done to him…