In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE, Kat Dennings looks back at the harsh critiques she received from casting directors as a child actor and recalls how she was told she was "fat" at just 12 years old.

It was pretty crazy thinking about it. I’m like, ‘How can anyone say that about a little kid? This is insane,'” Dennings recalled.

Dennings looked back on her career and the Hollywood beauty standards she came up auditioning as a 12-year-old kid.

Dennings began her on screen career - appearing in adverts - at the age of nine and received some “extremely negative feedback” from casting directors via her agent. Speaking to People, the Shifting Gears actor said: “It was pretty crazy thinking about it.