Jessica Alba Reflects on ‘Humiliating’ Fantastic Four Scene as She Unveils New Heist-Family Dramedy With Robert Rodríguez
Jessica Alba Says “Fantastic Four” Nude Scene Was ‘Humiliating’ and Haunted Her for Weeks
Jessica Alba opened up about filming what she described as a “humiliating” moment in Tim Story’s 2005 Marvel film Fantastic Four during an in-depth career conversation at the Red Sea Film Festival on Friday. Asked about her memories from the production, Alba didn’t hesitate to name her “least favorite scene”: Sue Storm reappearing completely naked on a bridge.
“I thought that was awful,” she said. “It was very humiliating in real life. I grew up with a pretty conservative family, and I’m a modest person. I dreaded that scene for weeks.”
Still, Alba looks back fondly on the role overall. She said she loved playing Sue Storm because the character pushed back against gender stereotypes common in superhero and action movies at the time. “She was a woman I looked up to,” Alba explained. “Maternal and kind, but not a pushover. She spoke her mind and had a great moral compass. Anyone could look up to her. Back then, women were often the ones who needed saving. It’s different now.”
Alba has not yet watched Vanessa Kirby’s new take on Sue Storm in Fantastic Four: First Steps. She said her kids dominate movie night choices—especially her son, who insists on watching Sonic “85 times in a row.” Still, she added, “We have to see it. I love Marvel—they’re so fun.”
During the conversation, Alba also revealed she is developing a new project with longtime collaborator Robert Rodríguez, with whom she worked on Sin City and Machete. “We’re putting together a really fun action movie—like a family dramedy inside a heist film,” she said, noting that the film will feature an all-Latino cast. “We’re pitching it now to studios. It’s going to be really fun.”
She also teased another project in development with acclaimed Saudi filmmaker Haifaa al-Mansour. “We’re cooking up a really tender and beautiful story,” Alba said. “It’s about an aging parent and a daughter.”
Alba briefly referenced her role in Dakota Johnson’s upcoming directorial debut, A Tree Is Blue, in which she stars alongside Charli XCX and Vanessa Burghardt. “It’s about a mom and a daughter who wants her independence,” she said, adding that she hopes the finished film might premiere at the Red Sea Film Festival next year.
The actor, who recently expanded into producing with the launch of her banner Lady Metalmark Entertainment, said her goal behind the move is to “change minds” about representation on screen. “Growing up, I didn’t see a lot of diversity in storytelling,” she said, emphasizing that she doesn’t “blame Hollywood”—but notes that the industry’s leadership has historically lacked women and people of color.
“When you have a lot of white men in charge, they feel most comfortable telling stories through their lens,” she said. “They didn’t grow up with someone like me, or with women who were not only running the household but also making an income. We still lack female leadership, but as a woman of color, I don’t see the boundaries they see.”
Alba noted that women control over 70% of household income, arguing that the entertainment industry should take them more seriously as an audience. “We need entertainment that speaks to us,” she said. “A female lead who’s powerful and thinks for herself doesn’t make it ‘not for men.’ Maybe we need fewer stories where women always need saving.”
She added that Latino audiences in particular are “deeply engaged with entertainment” and remain underserved. “Latino stories are still very much defined by bias in the U.S.,” Alba said. “There are so many stigmas and stereotypes—cartels, drugs, domestic workers. We are much more than that. And if that’s the only way they see us, it’s difficult to change minds.”
“For that reason,” she continued, “it’s important for people like me, in a position as a producer, to support filmmakers who look like me—so we can tell authentic human stories.”
