Jessica Alba talks about snubbing nudity in Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For and says there’s a line she would’ve never crossed
Originally, why did you decide to take on the role of Nancy Callahan in Sin CityIJ
I wanted to do this movie because Robert Rodriguez was directing it, first and foremost. I didn’t really know it was a comic book when I read (something), when I saw that he was directing something. I just tell my agents every month, ‘What’s Robert doingIJ I want to do something with him.’ And lee, one of my agents, said, ‘You’ve got an opportunity.’ I said, ‘Excellent!’ So I took that opportunity and ran with it. I auditioned the old fashioned way. I met with the casting director, put myself on tape, and he had to approve.
Nancy Callahan in the comic book is showing more skin and is wilder. After seeing the comic, did you double think about the role and why don’t we see you in the original comic avatarIJ
When I looked at the graphic novel and I saw the picture, I then found out that she was a stripper and she was bottomless and topless. You know, nudity was an option. We could have done it if we wanted to. Nudity was definitely negotiable, if that was how Rodriguez wanted to go. It absolutely was an option. Robert said we could do it if we wanted to. Obviously it would have been more authentic. But I felt like dancing around with a lasso and chaps was going to be sexy enough. I think being nude for me would have been distracting. I really couldn’t be bottomless in front of my dad. He would really… I don’t know. He’d disown me or something. He’d freak out.”
Did you have any apprehension as far as playing Nancy againIJ
No way! I was stoked. Nancy’s one of my favourite characters I’ve ever played, and Sin City is hands-down my favourite movie I’ve ever been in. If I wasn’t in that movie I would’ve wanted to be in that movie.
How did you prepare for the dancing in the movieIJ
I trained with this woman named Jennifer Johnson who’s done a lot of competitive dancing — jazz, tap — and went on tour with Beyoncé. Now, she gives lessons in lA. Basically, I’d just map out where Nancy was emotionally, and really wanted the dancing to portray where she was emotionally, so when you get to the last dance, it’s very vulgar, raunchy, and scary.
How was it working with Robert Rodriguez againIJ
Working with Rodriguez and within the unique world of “Sin City” is an opportunity. He really creates a world and a universe that’s like nothing else. And as an actor, he doesn’t see any limitations on your capabilities or what you can do. He’s constantly challenging the status quo and pushing the limits, so it’s great to be part of it.
You seem quite comfortable in your own skin today, and you’re now running a business and have two kids. Was that self-confidence something you were born with, or something you had to reachIJ
No. It took me a long time to get to this place, but it’s making mistakes and figuring it out and being paralysingly insecure sometimes and being very unsure of myself and overthinking things constantly. I’m just so happy I’m not in that headspace anymore because it’s pretty much exhausting. It’s a lot to put on a young person, where you go from being anonymous to being completely exposed and in a fishbowl, and everything you say comes back to haunt you and everything you do is magnified, it’s hard to be human, make mistakes, and figure things out. You feel the magnitude of every little, tiny choice. That’s why pop culture and media swallow up a lot of people while they’re young.
Would you like to be a part of Sin City 3 also, if ever it gets madeIJ
Absolutely! Hopefully, it won’t be in ten years. Hopefully, it’ll be sooner than that.