Celebrity Interview - Jessica Biel - Comments
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Jessica Biel
Poster: H! Society 10/02/2008
Jump to CommentsIT’S DIFFICULT TO MAKE THE TRANSITION FROM MEGA-BABE TO SERIOUS ACTRESS, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU’RE CONSISTENTLY BEING CHAMPIONED AS ONE OF THE WORLD’S SEXIEST WOMEN. BUT JESSICA BIEL HAS NO FEAR WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING HER BID TO BECOME A TOP LEADING LADY IN HOLLYWOOD INTERVIEW ANNA STEWART/FAMOUS Jessica Biel is a talented and witty woman whose star has been rising steadily of late with appearances in films such as Blade:Trinity (looking sensational in tight black leather), Home of the Brave (as a female soldier in Iraq), and The Illusionist, the highly-acclaimed art house hit starring Edward Norton.Of course, the development in Biel's life which may tip the balance in her A-list favour is her romance with Justin Timberlake. She's spent two months at his side while he was touring Europe and the couple are now reportedly ready to set up house in Los Angeles."Justin is a wonderful guy and we've been having a great time together," says Biel. "It's strange how this has happened when I've been pretty busy promoting my films (the Nicolas Cage film Next and the comedy Chuck and Larry) and he's been on tour... But this is a great time in my life and I'm looking forward to how things evolve."Chuck and Larry is a romantic comedy about two firefighters (Adam Sandler and Kevin James) who pretend to be gay and get married to preserve Larry's pension benefits for his children after his wife dies. Biel plays their lawyer and is featured in the movie trailer in which she strips down into her underwear and reveals the sensational body that put her on the cover of the US edition of GQ magazine.This comedy is expected to be the kind of huge commercial breakthrough that the 25-year-old Biel has needed. Her only previous box-office successes came in the Blade film and the 2003 slasher remake Texas Chainsaw Massacre, not the kind of films which help an actress forge a serious career. But should Chuck and Larry turn into the summer comic blockbuster that Hollywood buzz says it is, Jessica Biel has every chance of becoming the next big American star cum sex symbol.Interestingly, her relationship with Timberlake is bound to generate the kind of publicity that will add plenty of urgency to Biel's approaching stardom. After breaking up with actor Chris Evans (The Fantastic Four) she was being courted by a variety of men until Timberlake struck her fancy. Reveals a source close to Biel: "Jessica has been preparing for becoming a star for several years and she knows that her life is going to change now. Of course, falling in love with Justin Timberlake was not something she was expecting since she's tried to keep her love life very quiet over the years. This will be a completely different kind of experience for her and a major test of their love affair.“But whenever Jessica is faced with a challenge, her motto is, ‘I'm game!’ And that's how she feels about being with Justin – she’s going to see where it all leads and let their relationship play out as naturally as possible.”In the interview that follows, the ethereally-beautiful Jessica Biel opens up about her journey from reluctant sex symbol to Hollywood's next big leading lady.
Jessica, your dilemma seems to be that your beauty gets in the way of a real appreciation of your talent as an actress... It's more a question of making sure that one kind of image that the public may have of you doesn't prevent you from making a different kind of impression... I never worry about whether a role is going to make me look sexy or not. I only care about, how am I going to make this real? This year I'm concentrating on finding good roles like the one I found in The Illusionist, which was a part I got at the last minute when another actress dropped out. For me, it was an incredible stroke of luck. And that's sometimes that you need in this business. I know that if I keep working hard and stay focussed that I'll get the good roles.
Is Chuck and Larry the kind of film that will get you to the level where you have to be to find lead roles?It could be. It's a very funny movie and working with comic talents like Adam Sandler and Kevin James has been a revelation. They're incredibly gifted actors, and comedy is much harder to do because there’s such a fine line to make it work. I also have a great role where I play the straight woman, get to set up a lot of their jokes and let them just get on with it. They're great and it was a really good experience for me even though it was intimidating at first to be working with actors who are really masters at comedy and this kind of movie.
You’ve been portrayed in magazines as a sex symbol and regularly hailed as the world’s sexiest woman. Do you want to downplay that image or does it enhance your box office appeal?Well, I don't really know if it enhances it or not. I don't know if it does. It's not my plan or whatever in my life to be a sex symbol. It never is. You are who you are, but you can't help what you look like. And when you do a film, like for me, it's just not about that. I would prefer to downplay it. I prefer to downplay the sex appeal. Even when I did a film like Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the 2003 remake), I was only focussed on, how am I going to make this scary? How am I going to make women who watch this movie not go, “Oh, God, another girl running around in her little blond panties and falling and tripping and running to the second floor.” I took every precaution to take the focus away from my being sexy on that film. I didn't go into that movie thinking, "Okay, if I run like this... (she gives her best Baywatch sexy run impression, churning her arms)... then I'll be sexy and strong." (Laughs)
You’ve never shied away from making comments about men and what you’re looking for in a guy…Sometimes I've only made statements as a joke or like when I talked about liking men with stubble. Suddenly the comment gets blown up out of proportion and magazines start speculating that I'm commenting about specific people. It's a bit silly. But I'm a pretty open person and I don't want to feel as if I should watch every word I say. I would like to be able to say what I think and be honest when I speak to journalists and not be worrying about things I say being taken out of context or blown out of proportion.
Your work in The Illusionist (Biel played a 19th century Czech duchess opposite Edward Norton’s magician in this period film) earned you rave reviews. What was it like working with Norton?I found Edward very intimidating the first time I met him. I felt he was so smart and I couldn't keep up with him. But slowly but surely I cracked his shell. He was the sweetest and the most fun guy to hang out with. But work was different; he brought me up to another level and I had to meet him up there, exploring and trying new things. I crave doing something dark and deep and complicated and real when it comes to acting. That's the stratosphere you want to be shooting at if you take your career seriously. I don't mind the attention to my looks if that's going to help me get people to watch my work.
Do you worry now about being part of a high-profile relationship and the kind of attention that is going to bring?I'm going to try not to let myself get caught up in that if I can possibly manage it. I would like to be known for my work and let that drive my career rather than becoming a paparazzi target. I'm not someone who's going to let my life get twisted out of shape in any case. I would rather not have my life become an open book because in the end you wind up losing too much of your privacy and the publicity becomes invasive and just becomes an end in itself.
Does all the recent attention surprise you?It's always a kind of a strange surprise. You work hard to get the kinds of roles that are going to earn you publicity so you can have enough visibility to get the really interesting lead roles that are out there, and then suddenly it all comes together and you're getting stopped on the street by people who recognise you. I don’t think guys would be coming up to you only because of your publicity…
(Laughs) Maybe not! But I've had to deal with that for a while anyway so that's not anything new. I usually dress down as much as possible because I don't want to attract attention to myself and until lately it's very rare that I've been recognised.
You mentioned earlier that you got the role in The Illusionist only at the last minute. How did that happen?It was kind of chaotic. The actress who was supposed to be playing the role dropped out – I don't know who that was or what happened – and suddenly there was an opening and literally at 6 pm I got a frantic call from my agent who said, “Can you do this audition tomorrow, can you have an accent and can you be great?” So I went in and I read with the casting director and we worked it through. Then they brought me back the next day to read with Edward. And I just thought, '”I have nothing to lose, I've got one opportunity, I'm gonna go for it.” So I bought this crazy outfit fully decked from head to toe. (That is, she dressed as close to period as she could without going to a fancy dress store.) I looked like some crazy person walking down the street. I thought either I'm gonna be totally laughed at or they're gonna love it, one or the other. And in the end it was probably the best film I've ever done.
Does this kind of movie make you feel more secure about making the transition to the serious career you want to have?Yes, It's a huge step forward in my life. You want something so badly but there are so many variables and so many things which have to go right before you can realise your dream. Doing a film like The Illusionist was probably harder than I thought. I definitely didn't expect it to be easy. But I put a lot of pressure on myself to get the accent right. It was a constant worry and a challenge every day. So that was my main thing, and creating a relationship and a love between two people in a short amount of time that never really could express itself until one moment. It was a challenge. It was a big challenge every day.
Will you still do action films like Blade:Trinity or do you want to avoid black leather tights for a while?(Laughs) I'd like to have a balance when it comes to the kinds of movies I'm making. I just don't want to get pigeon-holed in any one kind of genre. Edward Norton was always telling me to keep doing different kinds of work, and that's the best path to carving out an interesting career. You’re noted for your physique.
What kind of workouts have you done to get ready for some of your films?For Home of the Brave, I was just worried about the six-day a week, all-day workout sessions I was doing to get ready for that role. I spent a year getting in shape for that film. I was getting a bit too bulky at one point and I got especially worried that I might get a big muscled butt. (Laughs) But I do like to work out – being in action movies got me onto that. It changed my work-out routine, the way I eat and the way I live my life. I really thought I was a healthy eater before but working with people who know what they are doing completely changed that perspective. I learnt about nutrition; it motivated me to get into the gym and exercise more than I ever did before. I don't go as mad as I used to but I do still work out. I'm also trying yoga now. I work out maybe three times a week. My problem is I that I get really built and it gets to be too much. I think it's from the muscle memory of all the training I've done as an athlete growing up. It's my fault – I push myself. I can't go in there and do five-pound (two-kilogram) weights. I just can't. I really go for it.
What type of diet do you follow?I do this nutritional plan of no salt, no sugar, no bread. Just some fruits, every vegetable you can think of, lean meat, and water. Sometimes I do slip. I love food. Is it true that you had a weird experience with Wesley Snipes while shooting Blade:Trinity a few years ago?It was just very bizarre. Wesley would stay in character as Blade during the entire filming, which was difficult since Blade is a very dark and intimidating character. But that's his process and he's not the only actor who does that. But it was a bit strange. Then I heard from a camera operator that he worked with Wesley on another film where he was playing an easygoing, happy character and that's exactly how he behaved on the set. I was, like, shell-shocked [to hear this]. “What do you mean? That's just crazy.”
Do you have any role model when it comes to other actresses in Hollywood and the kind of career they’ve enjoyed?My idol is Julianne Moore. She's a beautiful woman and brilliant actress who has played so many different kinds of characters that she's never been stereotyped. That's why I was so thrilled to have worked with her on Next, where not only did I get to learn so much from her approach to acting but also from Nicolas Cage (Biel's lover in the film), who is much more ready to improvise and find different ways of making a scene work.
How do you think you’ll handle your fame in the future?(Laughs) I don't know. I hope there won't be 20 photographers running after me when I go jogging on the beach. But if they try, they'll collapse because I know I can outrun them! (Laughs)
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