( FF ) - Eva Mendes hated being treated as a sexual object at the beginning of her career.
The Hollywood beauty - who appears in an explicit sex scene in the opening minutes of her new movie 'We Own the Night' - made her TV debut as a bikini babe in the video for Aerosmith's 'Hole In My Soul' but hated flaunting her body for money.
The 33-year-old star said: "In 'Hole In My Soul' I played a character created in a lab. I was wearing an American flag bikini. Pure class, I was so embarrassed.
"I walked off a rap video once. My first year in the business, I went out for any roles that would take me. But after a couple of videos, I told my agent, 'No more gyrating in bikinis.' On the next video, they brought in all these tiny sequinned shorts and bras, and I said 'I'm not wearing those.' They go, 'You said you wouldn't wear a bikini.' I needed money, so I was looking at this sequinned thing, going 'What do I do?' Then I saw a sign that said something like, 'Holding area for cash money hos.' I was like, 'I'm out', and I took off in my car. I'm proud of that moment."
Although Eva used to have reservations about showing off her body she is more comfortable with being a sex symbol now.
The Cubin star - who appears semi-naked in cop movie 'Training Day' - recently confessed she loves gardening in the nude.
She said: "I love being naked. I do everything in the nude, even the gardening!