Jessica Alba shocked critics when she starred in Marvel’s Fantastic Four. Her superhero portrayal felt like a breath of fresh air from the typical roles she would get. Even the talented actress felt the same when she took up the part of Susan Storm.
Fantastic Four allowed Jessica Alba to scour herself as an actor, exploring previously unexplored characteristics of her actor self.
Jessica Alba Was Happy To Get Her Fantastic Four Role
Before Fantastic Four Jessica Alba would usually get the damsel in distress roles or flattering parts that would have her strip onscreen quite often. But the 2005 movie allowed Alba to play an unconventional role, that too a Superhero role for a Marvel movie. Expressing her delight she once said,
“The scripts I get are always for the wh**e, the motorcycle chick in leather, or the h**ny maid. I get all these screenplays that start, ‘Tawnya is in the shower. The water streams down her n**ed, p**ky br**sts.’ I don’t think this is happening to Natalie Portman.”
Not only did the role allow her to play something different on screen, but she also connected well with her on-screen character in terms of personality.
“Sue keeps trying to keep everybody together. She just wants everyone to be okay. It seems like when she’s trying to do that, everyone is so caught up in their problems that’s when she disappears. And so it’s very metaphorical. I love it.”
Jessica Alba even expressed her desire to portray her character as ugly in the movie, as she wanted to break away from the typecast roles she would get. Even after her persistent efforts, the director Tim Story didn’t agree explaining that people would not like her to play that part. And hence, Alba started regretting to a certain degree starring in The Fantastic Four.
Jessica Alba Later Regretted Starring In Fantastic Four
Shooting Fantastic Four was a fun experience for Jessica Alba. While the majority of the time was pleasant, there were certain days that Alba hated agreeing to star in the Marvel movie. During the sequel, it was Tim Story who often became the cause of her distress and regret.
“[He told me] ‘It looks too real. It looks too painful. Can you be prettier when you cry? Cry pretty, Jessica.’ He was like, ‘Don’t do that thing with your face. Just make it flat. We can CGI the tears in.’ And then it all got me thinking: Am I not good enough? Are my instincts and my emotions not good enough? Do people hate them so much that they don’t want me to be a person?'”
Her experience on set later made her drown in a whirlwind of negative emotions and insecurities. And so, stuck in an insecure phase as an actor, the talented actress took a much-needed break from showbiz.
You can stream Fantastic Four on Disney+.
Source: CheatSheet
