Since Kate Beckinsale stunned audiences worldwide as Selene in the “Underworld” film series, she has become an absolute icon of action cinema. While the actress has certainly proven her talent across various genres, fight sequences are undeniably her thing! It’s no surprise, then, that Prime Video’s latest release, featuring her in the lead, is currently the most-watched movie on the platform in the United States, according to FlixPatrol.
In “Canary Black,” Beckinsale portrays Avery Graves, a CIA agent caught up in a dangerous mission when her husband is kidnapped by terrorists. The organization demands classified information, and if Graves fails to deliver, she risks losing the love of her life and sending the world into chaos.
Her stunning performance has made her a hot topic of debate, but it’s not just her fictional character that people are discussing. The performer has long faced comments on her appearance, with those resurfacing once again. Here’s how she responded to the plastic surgery claims.
Kate Beckinsale clears the air on plastic surgery rumors
As Kate Beckinsale rises as one of Prime Video’s stars of October, allegations of plastic surgery have resurfaced. These claims have been persistent and harsh over the years, and the actress has not hesitated to confront them, repeatedly stating that she has not undergone any cosmetic procedures.
Kate Beckinsale attends The Hollywood Reporter’s Women In Entertainment Gala at The Beverly Hills Hotel on December 07, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Source: Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
In 2024, Beckinsale addressed criticism about her appearance on two occasions. According to USA Today, the first instance was in May, when she posted a now-deleted Instagram video comparing clips taken twenty years apart to refute the plastic surgery accusations.
The “Underworld” icon explained that the differences in her appearance were due to living in the U.K. at the time, where she was paler, plucked her eyebrows, and had a fuller face in her late teens. She also mentioned changes in makeup techniques over the decades as a factor in her evolving look. The post included a message asking critics to stop, but the backlash only intensified.
Beckinsale added that it was nonsensical for her to be accused of undergoing surgery, emphasizing that her only focus had been on surviving loss. It is well-known that she struggled immensely with anxiety and panic attacks following her father’s sudden death when she was five years old. The trauma led her to frequently visit emergency rooms, fearing she would also die of a heart attack.
The second instance occurred in July, when Beckinsale again responded to harsh comments about her physical appearance. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, she posted a video of herself looking in the mirror while wearing a pink bikini bottom and matching crop top, only to receive a wave of hateful comments.
Frustrated, she replied to one comment suggesting she “go do some squats” because she was “too thin,” saying, “No, actually, I watched my stepfather die quite shockingly, my mother has stage 4 cancer, and I lost a lot of weight from stress and grief,” adding that her then mysterious stay at a hospital for six weeks was because “the grief had burned a hole in my oesophagus [sic] which made me vomit blood. So I’m not really concerned about what you think “
In similar posts, Beckinsale continued to explain that changes in her appearance were the result of dealing with multiple losses, but the criticism persisted. Despite the ongoing speculation, the star has consistently denied having plastic surgery since the rumors first emerged when she turned 30, and remains determined to fight against them.
