Kate Beckinsale opened up about her early days as an actress, and despite her indisputable fame, there was a time when she was harshly criticized. More specifically, the 43-year-old star was judged for not being edgy due to her background in independent British films. This subsequently led many to view her as “very British and delicate.”

She shared with ScreenDaily.com: “I started in independent British film-making.

When I began working outside of England, what I kept running into was, ‘She’s very British and delicate, she doesn’t have much edge.'”

And the actress – who has a teenage daughter with former partner Michael Sheen – is happy to see how Hollywood has progressed in regard to female-led movies.

She said: “The needle has moved. ‘Bridesmaids’ was a watershed moment. But now everyone just wants to make female comedies that make tonnes of money, it’s coming from a cynical perspective … [I believe in] well-made films that are well-acted and directed. It’s important that everybody is represented.”

Meanwhile, Kate previously admitted she’s quite possibly been typecast and will be primarily remembered for her Underworld films.

“It has lasted pretty well. It’s a little bit depressing that that’s probably what’s going to be on my gravestone. I’m far more comfortable with learning 70,000 words of dialogue. That’s much more in my comfort zone. Whereas jumping off things and doing a roly-poly in leather tights, that’s a bit like, ‘What the f**k am I doing here still?’ It’s always been a hilarious joke to my family that I’ve been allowed to get away with it.”

In fact, Kate only appeared in the popular franchise because her now-estranged husband, Len Wiseman, served as director.

She explained: “The second one we absolutely did because we were just getting married. When he did a movie, he’d be tied up for more than two years, and we weren’t ready to have that happen to us. That was 100 percent what that was about.

I don’t regret having done it, but I think I regret it has eclipsed some of the things that feel much more genuinely me.”