Los Angeles, Jun 6 (IANS): Actress Sandra Bullock says sexism in Hollywood made her think about quitting acting altogether.

"My career has been a domino effect of people who said, 'I would like this person to fill this role'," usatoday.com quoted Bullock as saying.

"And not just in the industry, but people in my life. My mother raised me like, 'You don't need to get married, you forge your own path. You make your own money, and be your own person'. And I literally went out into the world thinking there was no disparity, that everyone was equal, and I can do whatever a man can do."

It wasn't until later in her career that Bullock had a "wake-up moment".

"I was like, 'What is this feeling? Why do I feel so (expletive)?' Oh, my God, I'm being treated this way because I have a vagina'."

Bullock did not get into specifics about the sexist behaviour she was subjected to, though she said it had a lasting effect.

"It was hard for me because I walked with blinders on through life and got to where I (felt) like I was less than because I was a woman. And that was a hard pill to swallow. I had a lot of sadness from that. I was like, 'Wow, maybe I need to step out of here. Maybe I need to do something else for a living'. And that was in the middle of when I was getting work -- I didn't want to be a part of that world where there was that experience."