Jessica Alba on Past Acting Roles: ‘I Don’t Actually Think I’ve Ever Had A Good Review In My Entire Career’
Actor Jessica Alba has been in many popular films throughout her career. However, she doesn’t feel that most of them were particularly well-reviewed. Learn what Alba said about negative headlines and one TV gig where she had to follow a very odd rule.
Jessica Alba is known for her film roles
Following supporting roles in films such as Never Been Kissed, Alba broke out as a lead actor in the 2003 dance movie Honey. She followed this up with Sin City and Fantastic Four, later reprising her role in each in a sequel. Alba also made her mark in romantic comedies such as Good Luck Chuck and Valentine’s Day.
Alba’s frequent work in the crime and action genres has led to multiple collaborations with director Robert Rodriguez. In addition to the Sin City movies, she’s appeared in Machete and Spy Kids: All the Time in the World. Alba’s most recent films are the black comedy El Camino Christmas and the crime thriller Killers Anonymous.
She doesn’t believe her movies have been well-reviewed
Though many were very popular, not all of Alba’s films have earned glowing reviews. In fact, she told Sean Evans of First We Feast on Hot Ones that she’s rarely, if ever, come across a positive one. “I don’t actually think I’ve ever had a good review in my entire career,” Alba said. And she thinks she knows why.
“I feel like a lot of movie reviewers — and maybe I’m speaking out of turn — especially now, but even then, they love a good headline,” said Alba. “It’s all about the headline, and it’s all about a salacious headline. And for some reason, scandal seems to prevail over you complimenting someone.”
Alba broke out as a TV star
Before Alba was starring in big-budget films, she made her mark on the small screen. After appearing in two seasons of the kid’s series Flipper, she was cast as Max Guevara in the sci-fi drama Dark Angel. Alba led the ensemble cast for the show’s two-season run on Fox, and its widely considered her breakout role.
Following Dark Angel‘s cancelation, Alba stuck to the big screen, aside from a few small roles here and there. She appeared in an episode of The Office, as well as a few episodes of the IFC miniseries The Spoils of Babylon. Alba returned to TV in her first leading role in many years with LA’s Finest in 2019.
1 of her early TV gigs was ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’
Before landing Dark Angel, Alba had appeared in a handful of other shows in minor roles. Her first TV gig was a three-episode arc on the Nickelodeon show The Secret World of Alex Mack. A few years later, she played pregnant teenager Leanne in two episodes of the Fox drama Beverly Hills, 90210.
Deeming the former “sort of wish fulfillment,” Alba spilled on the latter. “On the set of 90210, I couldn’t even make eye contact with any of the cast members, which was really strange when you’re trying to do a scene with them,” she said. Alba added she was told, “You’re not allowed to make eye contact with any one of the cast members, or you’ll be thrown off the set.”
