Jessica Biel Once Felt Her Looks Stopped Her From Being Taken Seriously as an Actor
Actor Jessica Biel has come a long way from her 7th Heaven days. But in the beginning of her career, she wasn’t exactly getting the roles she was pining for.
Biel would soon theorize her looks was what stood in the way of a more fulfilling acting career.
How Jessica Biel got into acting
Biel was a model before she was a young star. At a very early age, she was already modeling in contests and learning how to perform. Her experiences doing so would prepare her for a life in movies and television.
“When I was 11, I was in a competition sponsored by the International Modeling and Talent Association,” she once said in an interview with W magazine. “You paid a certain amount of money and they taught you to walk a runway, present a comedic monologue, a dramatic monologue, a dance routine, and a song. My runway look was a one-piece bathing suit, a top hat, and a bow tie.”
Her stint in modeling would soon pair her up with a team that would help forward Biel’s acting career.
“The competition was in L.A., and afterward I got a manager and an agent. I tried out for a billion things, and after three years, I was cast on the show 7th Heaven,” she said.
Starring in the hit WB family drama would do wonders for Biel’s career, turning her into a star overnight. But Biel would find trouble expanding her career even further later on.
Jessia Biel once felt her looks stopped her from being taken seriously as an actor
After her 7th Heaven years, Biel sought to star in a variety of different film roles. She dabbled in horror and action by appearing in movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Blade Trinity. She participated in heartfelt drama films such as Home of the Brave.
But in the beginning, Biel often felt overlooked for darker, perhaps meatier material because of her physical features. After a while, it couldn’t help bother the actor.
“I felt frustrated for a long time that my appearance was an issue and I wasn’t being taken seriously at the beginning of my career,” she once said according to Contact Music.
Although getting her preferred roles became less of an issue, Biel thought the ideal film still hadn’t come her way yet.
“I know that I still haven’t found the right dramatic role that will allow me to move past the whole issue,” Biel added. “I crave something dark, deep and complicated when it comes to acting. I think most directors can get past my looks and focus on my acting, even though I still haven’t been able to land some of the parts I wanted very badly.”
Jessica Biel may have found the darker roles she’s been looking for
In recent years, Biel may have found herself portraying the types of characters she’s been passionate about. She had a starring role in the anthology crime series The Sinner, where she played the suspect of a brutal crime. The role earned Biel a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film. She also received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.
At the time, Biel considered both the miniseries and her award nomination one of the highlights of her career.
“I’m just grateful to have the opportunity to work with a partner in USA that wanted to bring this hardcore material, and that I had an opportunity to even do something and give a performance like this. I just haven’t had that in my career. It’s just incredible. It’s a huge moment — one of the top moments for me,” she once told Entertainment Weekly.
