'Dietland' 's Julianna Margulies Opens Up About Her Past Struggle with Self-Acceptance

WhenJulianna Marguliesfirst kickstarted her career in show business, the pressure to live up to impossible standards and her struggle with self-acceptance was at an all-time high.

She adds, “It was sort of a miracle theERhappened to me because I think it was that same year that I was told I’d do better off in Europe because they’re more accepting. That was 1994, so it was a long time ago and I know things have changed dramatically but not drastically enough. I think we’re seeing that now. I think we’re seeing it with women being able to be the leads in film and in television. The landscape is changing but I definitely think that it’s not just in the business, I think it’s how we view ourselves as women in the world.”

After playing her morally centered characters inERandThe Good Wife, Margulies is now starring as a narcissistic fashion-magazine editor, Kitty Montgomery, in AMC’sDietlandand says the role has really helped her shift her personal views about herself.

Patrick Harbron/AMC

“I really hope people take away from this is that we’re all great as we are and we can be better people if we start accepting that now,” the actress says. “It’s hard. Listen, I’m not good at it. I’m always looking at my flaws and examining them. But the show has really helped me change my views about myself.”

“I’m so hard on myself,” she adds. “I’m a perfectionist. It’s just how I’m wired. The show talks about why are we all trying to be perfect people? There is no such thing. We need to stop being so hard on ourselves and maybe the real you will be more valuable than the superficial you. I think women across the board, and men too, are going to really identify with everything about this show.”

Dietlandairs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.

source: people.com