Megan Fox Struggled as Sex Symbol, Says Shia LaBeouf

By Dahvi Shira

06/03/2011 at 03:30 PM EDT

Megan Fox famously feuded with Transformers director Michael Bay, once saying, "He wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and he is."

Fox's former costar Shia LaBeouf explains the actress, 25, struggled with the "sex-driven role" and bristled under suddenly being "told she was the sexiest woman in America."

"She had a hard time accepting it," LaBeouf, 24, tells the Los Angeles Times. "Mike films women in a way that appeals to a 16-year-old's sexuality. It's summer. It's Michael's style."

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LaBeouf, who admits Bay "lacks tact," adds, "When Mike would ask [Fox] to do specific things, there was no time for fluffy talk. We're on the run."

But LaBeouf says it's a different story for Rosie Huntington-Whitley, Fox's replacement in the third installment of the action-packed flick.

"Rosie comes with this Victoria's Secret background and she's comfortable with it," he says. "So she can get down with Mike's way of working, and it makes the whole set vibe very different."

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