There is no doubt to the fact that Jessica Alba is one of the most beautiful celebrities of today. However, she is so much more than just a pretty face. She is a brilliant actress, a smart entrepreneur, and a loving mother of three. And Jessica Alba seems to agree.
When the opportunity to play a Marvel superhero knocked on her door, Jessica Alba couldn’t resist the temptation to say yes. However, she soon realized that playing Sue Storm in Fantastic Four was not what she expected. While all she wanted to do was play a simple, badass superhero, people couldn’t stop calling her a “s*xy superhero.” Jessica Alba knew that she was more than a s*x symbol.
Jessica Alba Didn’t Want to Play a S*xy Superhero
Jessica Alba was a bit worried about saying yes to Marvel’s Fantastic Four. However, when the opportunity came, she knew she had to say yes or she wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. Alba stated at the 2004 San Diego Comic-Con,
“Honestly, I was worried. But at the end of the day, when this opportunity came I couldn’t say no. I just feel I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I turned this movie down. It’s such a great story and hopefully everyone will be pleased.”
Why was she worried, though? Was it because of how taxing it is to play a superhero or did she have a hunch that her character would be reduced to a s*x symbol? In an interview with GQ, Alba stated that she had simply wanted to play a superhero but people couldn’t stop commenting on the s*xiness of her portrayal.
“I was playing a superhero [Sue Storm in Fantastic Four] and all of a sudden when they put me in a superhero uniform they called it s*xy. I was covered head to toe, but everything turns into s*xy because I have a body. I was never, oh, I’m going to be a s*xy superhero. I was just playing a superhero.”
Well, this is not the first time an actress has faced this issue. Previously, Scarlett Johansson has also opened up about her MCU character, Black Widow, being s*xualized in the superhero universe.
Jessica Alba Knows There’s More to Her
In an interview with InStyle, the Sin City actress opened up about how her sexuality made her uncomfortable right from the very start. She recalled a shoot where she was just 19 years old, and how those in charge wanted her to pose “a certain way.”
“My sexuality made me very uncomfortable. I remember my first Maxim shoot, they were telling me to pose a certain way, and I was like, ‘Agh! I’m 19. I’m a virgin. I don’t even know how to do that.’ It was so awkward.”
Alba continued that because of this, she went through a life crisis. While she didn’t want to be a s*x symbol, she just didn’t know how not to be one.
“I sort of went through a life crisis. I was like, ‘This isn’t what I set out to be. I’m so much more than this’. But I don’t know how not to be a s*x symbol.”
The actress finally found her calling and comfort in the company she created, The Honest Company, with her children’s safety as its foundation. According to Alba, the most “ludicrous” thing she has done in her career is starting her own business, and for all the right reasons.
Source: GQ
