
Jessica Alba recalled shooting a âhumiliatingâ scene in Tim Storyâs 2005 Marvel adaptation of âFantastic Fourâ while giving an in-depth career talk at the Red Sea Film Festival on Friday. Asked about her memories of the shoot, she said her âleast favorite sceneâ was of character Sue Storm reappearing completely naked over a bridge.
âI thought that was awful,â she said. âIt was very humiliating in real life. I grew up with a pretty conservative family, and I am a pretty modest person. I dreaded that scene for weeks.â
Still, Alba has fond memories of playing Storm, adding that she âlovedâ how the character broke gender stereotypes perpetuated in superhero and action films at the time. âShe was a woman I looked up to,â she said. âShe was very maternal and very kind, but also not a pushover; she spoke her mind. She had a great moral compass. No matter who you are, you can look up to her. Oftentimes, the women in these stories need to be saved by a guy or the villain, the problem in the story. This was back then. Itâs different now.â
Asked whether she has watched Vanessa Kirbyâs recent interpretation of Sue Storm in âFantastic Four: First Steps,â Alba said she has not yet been able to watch the film. âI usually watch those movies with my kids, and if âSonicâ was out, my son wants to watch it 85 times in a row. When it comes to movies that are for the family, my kids dominate what we watch for sure. But I have to convince him because we have to see it! I love Marvel, and theyâre so fun.â
Alba also announced she is pitching a new film with Robert RodrĂguez, whom she worked with on âSin Cityâ and âMachete.â âWeâre putting together a really fun action movie, like a family dramedy inside a heist movie,â she said, adding that the project will feature an all-Latino cast. âWeâre pitching that now to studios. Itâs going to be really fun.â The actor also mentioned she is working on a project with lauded âWadjdaâ Saudi Arabian director Haifaa al-Mansour: âWe have something that weâre cooking together, a really tender and beautiful story. Itâs a tender story about an aging parent and a daughter.â
Alba also briefly mentioned Dakota Johnsonâs upcoming directorial debut âA Tree Is Blue,â in which she is set to star alongside Charli XCX and Johnsonâs âCha Cha Real Smoothâ screen partner Vanessa Burghardt. âItâs about a mom and a daughter who wants her independence,â said the actor. âIt would be amazing to be able to show it [at Red Sea] next year when itâs finished.â
The actor has recently moved into production by launching her label Lady Metalmark Entertainment. Speaking about the reasoning behind the career move, Alba said her goal is to âchange mindsâ when it comes to diversity on screen. âGrowing up, I didnât see a lot of diversity in storytelling,â she recalled, adding she doesnât âblame Hollywood.â
âWhen you have a lot of white guys in charge, they feel most comfortable telling stories through their lens,â she highlighted. âThey donât know you. They didnât grow up with a woman who grew up like me. Frankly, many of them didnât have women [in their lives] who were strong, not just running the household but making an income. We still donât have a lot of female leadership, but as a woman of color, I donât see the boundaries that they may see.â
The actor-slash-entrepeneur also brought up the fact that women control âover 70% of the household income,â and therefore should be better considered by decision-makers in entertainment. âI believe we need to have entertainment that speaks to us. Just because a woman is a lead and a powerful person who can think for herself, it doesnât mean itâs not for men. Maybe we should have a little less of women who need to be saved all the time. And in our country in particular, the Latino audience loves entertainment; we watch it more than any other group of people.â
On Latino stories, Alba said they are still âvery much defined by a biasâ in the United States. âThere are a lot of stigmas and stereotypes. They love to tell stories about cartels, drugs, and domestic workers. We are a lot more than that. If thatâs the only way they see us, itâs very difficult for them to change their minds. It takes people like me in a position as a producer to support filmmakers who look like me to be able to tell really authentic human stories.â
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