Bella Thorne struggled to land serious roles due to Disney past

Actress Bella Thorne's career beginnings as a Disney star made landing more serious roles difficult as she matured.

The 19-year-old struggled to convince casting directors she could take on more dynamic roles after shooting to fame on teen shows like Shake It Up.

"Not only did fans pigeonhole me, but casting directors wouldn't read me anymore," she tells Harper's Bazaar. "They were like, 'No, we don't want her to come in because she's so Disney.' I had to literally beg for an audition."

Despite her perceived limited range, the actress eventually booked work in upcoming mainstream films like Midnight Sun, opposite Patrick Schwarzenegger, and The Death and Life of John F. Donovan, alongside Jessica Chastain and Natalie Portman.

And Thorne recalls one instance in which she was able to finally prove her talent in an audition: "(A casting director) shook my hand in the audition and was like, 'I'm really sorry, I totally misjudged you, you're a great actress.'"

Thorne currently stars in TV series Famous in Love, about a young woman who becomes a celebrity overnight and struggles to live her life in the public eye - something she can relate to.

"You make so many mistakes when you're young, but (as a celebrity) your mistakes are so harshly judged by everyone around the world," she reveals. "When you're the most hated person on the Internet, then it's not so fun."