This week actress Phoebe Tonkin proved she's just as tough as her character, Hayley, on The Originals.

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Hayley has been kicking butt this season as a hybrid and protective mother to Hope, but she's not the only one willing to stand up for herself. In real life, Tonkin is firing back at critics who have been speculating about her weight.

"I think it's really irresponsible for those sites to focus on anybody's body shape," explained the 25-year-old actress in the March issue on ELLE Australia. "I don't like that I feel I have to be defensive." 

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Though the subject of many glamour campaigns and high-end photo shoots, Tonkin admitted that she's never saw herself as being anything fancy. In fact, she even worried that she was "too ordinary" to be an actress when she first came to Los Angeles in 2011.

These days the star's career on The CW is thriving, but she still prefers to keep her private life private. She typically utilized her social media accounts to promoter The Originals or projects that her friends are working on, as well as charity causes that she believes deserve attention.

As for Hayley, she will have her hands full during the upcoming episodes of The Originals. For the first time she will be navigating married life with Jackson (Nathan Parsons), as well has protecting her new husband from Klaus (Joseph Morgan). She will also be worrying about the safety of Hope, whose list of enemies is growing longer and longer by the day.

The Originals will return on The CW for the remainder of its second season on Monday, March 9 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Tags: The Originals the cw television