Kat Dennings was branded "fat" and not "pretty enough" by "cruel" casting directors when she was auditioning for parts as a child.

The 38-year-old 'Thor' actress - who started her showbiz career aged nine - has revealed she was given devastating feedback when trying out for parts as a young age but she was determined not to let the nasty comments about her appearance put her off her chosen career.

She told PEOPLE: "The time that I was auditioning and starting to act, it was a very different environment than it is now.

"There was not a lot of inclusivity at all. It was very harsh. There was a lot of extremely negative feedback and people would not hold back."

Kat went on to say the casting directors she dealt with were "very cruel" when "talking about a child", adding: "It was pretty crazy thinking about it.

"I'm like: 'How can anyone say that about a little kid? This is insane'. For example, I was 12. I'd go into an audition and I'd do it, and my manager would call me and I'd be like: 'How'd it go?' And they'd be like: 'Well, they thought you weren't pretty enough and you're fat'."

However, Kat is adamant she didn't take the comments to heart and thanks her parents for giving her a positive attitude.

She added: "For some reason, it didn't break my spirit.

"I was like: 'I'll show them'. I guess props to my parents, because they were like: 'They're idiots. Don't listen to them.' And I was like: 'They're idiots, I'm not'."

Kat went on to declare she's glad the industry has changed in the years since she started out and she hopes it's now a much kinder place.

She told the publication: "There's body positivity, there's inclusivity, there's representation, and there was none of that before. It was really gross."