Jessica Alba Takes on the Role of Mom in Real  Life and On Screen!
by Marci Miller     

   

Jessica Alba is a busy, working mom.  She is mother to three year old daughter Honor and just gave birth to new baby daughter Haven. This Hollywood actress has come a long way from when she first achieved worldwide recognition as the lead character in James Cameron’s Dark Angel who went on to star in such Hollywood hits as Honey, Sin City and the Fantastic Four franchise. And now, Alba takes on a role she is quite familiar with, a mom. But unlike real life, in her new film, SPY KIDS: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD IN 4D, she plays a spy mom who is trying to save the world while having a baby strapped to her because she doesn’t have a sitter. Her character, Marissa Cortez Wilson, is married, has a new baby and is raising two stepkids who clearly don’t want her around. She is also battling the maniacal Timekeeper (Jeremy Piven) who is threatening to take over the planet.

 

We recently had the chance to speak to Jessica about her new movie role, balancing work and family, and she even breaks down what it means to see the movie in “4D.”

 

Has having children changed the way you choose movie roles and if so, how?

It’s changed the way that I look at roles. I have to be really excited about the time I am spending away from my family, so it has to be worth it. So, I’m meeting with great artists and finding material that inspires me.

 

What similarities are there between your parenting style and your character in the movie?

She fumbles around a lot more and has a lot more on her plate because she has two step kids that don’t really like her that much and are critical of her. So I think that must be hard and can make you nervous if you constantly have to answer to two kids that are not happy that you are with their dad, along with bringing in a new baby to the family. She has to deal with a lot more and she’s hiding that she is a spy. Luckily, I don’t have to hide anything from my family and I don’t have two kids that hate me, so it’s easier for me to make mistakes and figure it out as I go.

 

How does it feel to have made your first 4D film and what can we expect to experience from it?

Well, we didn’t really know it was going to be 4D when we were shooting it. That sort of came after the fact. I think it’s really a great, a really fun element to add to the film for kids. It’s a kid’s movie, and as we all know, our kids are use to interacting with entertainment, especially with their iphones and their ipads. So this is for that next generation kid and they can participate in the film in a way that they never could before. Eight times during the film there is a number that pops up and there is a scratch and sniff card. And kids can scratch and smell what we’re smelling and feel like they are even more part of the experience.

 

What was your favorite scene to film in the movie?

I like the scenes where I am going into labor and hiding that I am a spy...my husband thinks I am an interior decorator. So I go into labor while I am on my last mission and that was fun. I got to do a little bit of action, which I hadn’t done since Dark Angel and there was also a little bit of comedy where I have contractions during the sequence so that was just funny and fun to play.

 

When you were filming the movie, did you take your daughter on set?

Most of the sets were not safe for kids to be on except for the home, so she hung out in my trailer. It’s a pretty nice set up. We’d have lunch together and we had a room where I took the bed out and set up a playroom for her. And my apartment wasn’t far. So she would play there and come back and see me. It’s what I’ve been doing since she was 4 months old.

 

What are some of ways you balance work and motherhood?

I don’t work as much as I used to, so that’s helped me to prioritize my time. My husband and I have made an agreement that when we are with my daughter that it’s pure family time, so no blackberries, no texting, really trying to give her as much attention as humanly possible.

 

Who in your life has inspired you to be a good mom?

Well my mother and my grandmother were my examples growing up and they always made us kids feel like we were the priority. No matter if they were working or busy. My mom would have three jobs sometimes but always managed to make my brother and I feel like we were number one in her life and doing everything for us. So, I think whether you have a job where you can stay at home or if you have to be away and travel a lot, just take the time to check in with your kids and constantly remind them that they are a priority.

 

If your children wanted to get into the business, would you encourage or discourage them?

After they are done with college, they can do what ever they want. I will support them. I want them to have the luxury of spending time to get an education and grow up differently than I did. And if they want to get into the arts, the more life experience they have the more they will have to bring to their work.  

 

How do you get it all done when there is only so much time in the day? 

I just try to live in the moment as much as possible. I find that when I try not to live for tomorrow and what’s going to come and am enjoying what’s happening right now, I feel like that is my best day. 

 

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