Alicia Silverstone is determined to "make the world a better place"

She told Entertainment Weekly: "We're all humans, so obviously there are things that can hurt your feelings here and there, but I really just got into activism and my desire to make the world a better place."

Alicia admits that her outside interests have helped her to cope with career setbacks.

She said: "I think that gave me something else to think about. I guess if [acting] was all I had, then perhaps I might be a bit more devastated."

Alicia's appearance was a subject of discussion during her early days in Hollywood. But the actress - who starred in the Clueless film in 1995 - is now philosophical about the situation.

She reflected: "We definitely did it differently back then. And that was not easy, for sure. But it's all fine. Nothing to lose sleep over. But certainly something that stays with you."

Alicia previously confessed that she was initially "overwhelmed" by fame.

The movie star struggled to cope with her celebrity status during her younger years.

She told the Guardian newspaper: "I was so overwhelmed by being famous because I was such a young girl and it was never really my intention."

Alicia thinks finding fame and success at such an early age means she "missed some emotional steps".

However, she also acknowledges there were some positive aspects to her early success.

She said: "I think I probably missed some emotional steps that needed to happen in a normal situation of development.

"But I also jumped light years ahead in other ways. It's sort of a combo platter. You gain some and you lose some."

Alicia also revealed that she never struggled to get her voice heard in the movie business.

She said: "Unfortunately or fortunately, I do not know, I've never had that problem with my work.

"I have had it in my personal life, learning to have a voice in my real life has been harder than having a voice in my work life. Maybe it's because I had success at a young age and sometimes maybe to my detriment, when I should have been wrangled."