December 8, 2005

Jessica Alba ... “For me as a woman, and who I am as a person, and what I represent, and who I want to portray, is somebody who is intelligent.”

Jessica Alba is Hollywood’s reluctant sex symbol.

The 24-year-old actress of Mexican-French-Danish descent is a favourite of the bloke magazine, regularly adorning the covers of the likes of FHM and Maxim with little clothing draped across her 170cm frame.

When Explode, Australia’s new magazine aimed at boys aged 12 to 17 launched in October, it was a smiling Alba in a revealing red swimsuit that dominated the cover.

The magazine also has Alba Watch, a column in each edition dedicated to “what’s going on in the life our favourite girl, the wonderful Jessica Alba”.

In a U-turn after all that exposure, she says she has decided it is time she was respected as an actress, rather than sex symbol.

“Natalie Portman just wouldn’t do Maxim”, Alba said during an interview to promote the DVD release of Fantastic Four, the highest-grossing box office film of her career.

“There is definitely a reason why I should do Rolling Stone or GQ. But for me as a woman, and who I am as a person, and what I represent, and who I want to portray, is somebody who is intelligent.”

It is not just the editors and readers of the lad magazines that will be disappointed.

Alba is tired of the Hollywood studio executives using her beauty to sell a film, rather than her acting ability.

In Fantastic Four Alba plays Sue Storm, a superhero with the power to turn invisible.

Asked what makes her feel invisible, she replied: “When I’m in a room with men in the business that are the heads of the studios and have agendas to sell me as a sex symbol and I’m telling them that I have a brain and I’ve been acting for 12 years”.

Hollywood does enjoy exploiting Alba’s beauty and the actress has gone along for the ride.

In 2005 she played a stripper in Sin City and in the action adventure flop Into the Blue, Alba, as a treasure hunter, spent the film largely dressed in a bikini.

“In Sin City, I didn’t get naked, which was a big deal considering I played a stripper,” Alba said.

The sexy roles, just like the magazine covers, are also shaping up as a thing of the past with scripts demanding acting chops, rather than skin, landing at her agents office.

“I’ve been getting a lot of really great stuff lately, some epics and romantic comedies,” she said.

So, the plan is to diversify.

“Right now I want to establish myself with studio movies and work with different studio heads and just get out there and show people I have a range,” Alba said.

AAP