Isla Fisher received "no helping hand" when trying to become an actress.
The 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' actress admits she struggled to gain recognition when she first moved to Hollywood and was even snubbed by the agent who represented her husband, then-boyfriend, Sacha Baron Cohen after she was fired by her own representative.
Speaking in the July edition of Britain's Cosmopolitan magazine, she said: "I really have had no help. In fact, the one time I did ask for help was after my agent in LA fired me. I was auditioning for all sorts of things but kept getting told 'no', so she just fired me!
"So anyway, I said to Sacha, who was my boyfriend at the time, 'Can you ask your agent if they'll represent me?' And his agent said, 'No way'. It was the only favour I'd ever asked, and I was like, 'OK... great'. But it spurred me on.
"I've had no helping hand in Hollywood. But in general I've found that when it comes to getting jobs, what's meant for you can't pass you by."
Despite her negative experiences in the past, the flame-haired beauty insists women would embrace their "femininity" and is grateful for the support of fellow actresses, such as fellow Australian star Naomi Watts.
Isla added: "Women should not have to adopt masculine traits in order to succeed. You should be able to stay as a woman, and in tune with your femininity and still be equal. Women one hundred percent support each other in the movie industry.
"I auditioned for a movie recently and when I went in, the producer said he'd told one of its stars, Naomi Watts, that he was auditioning me and she'd said, 'She's so funny, she's a great actress - you should hire her'. What a lovely, kind and supportive thing to do for another woman."
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