[social_misfit]

Alba: 'My parents were haunted'
April 24, 2008

Jessica Alba, 26, is best known for her role in the sci-fi TV series Dark Angel. She secured her place in Hollywood with the 2003 film Honey, which she followed with Sin City and The Fantastic Four. She is currently pregnant and is engaged to Cash Warren. In her latest film, The Eye, a psychological thriller, Alba plays a visually impaired virtuoso violinist.

You worked with Emily Mortimer years ago. So did you already know your Eye co-star, her husband Alessandro Nivola?
No. We met a few years ago at an Oscars party but I didn’t really know him before this. He’s great. It’s so nice to see people in this business happily married and dedicated to their families. It’s really encouraging. It can be done.

How did you prepare for the physical aspects of this role?
For me, it was about trying to make the blindness as believable as possible. I wanted to make it as authentic as I could but I ended up feeling quite claustrophobic. I wore these sleep shades they gave me at the blind orientation centre. It was such a relief to take them off but people who are blind obviously can’t do that. Just going to the bathroom or walking down the street or even opening the door, everything was overwhelming. The violin was pretty challenging, too. I practised for six months.

Could you do it as an alternative career?
Can you imagine starting aged three and having to practise that much to be a classical musician? Playing in front of a real orchestra was one of the hardest things I’ve done. They do it for a living and I was sitting there supposed to be the lead violinist.

Are you interested in classical music?
I enjoyed playing at the stage when I could play the notes and keep up. My grandfather’s a classical guitar player but I haven’t been exposed to much classical music.

Did this film make a nice change from your usual roles, where you run around in bikinis?
Yeah, normally I’m just running round in my underwear. I had one underwear scene and of course they used it in the trailer.

Will you be doing less of those ‘hot chick’ movies in the future?
I didn’t plan on that being the focus of my career. People cut trailers however they want. People focusing on my sexuality or whatever is just their interpretation. I don’t go into acting thinking: ‘Oh, this is what I want to do.’

What are your superstitions?
I don’t walk under ladders but I’ll walk on cracks in pavements. I really don’t like stray birds in the house. That’s a big one. It happened once and I lost my mind because my grandma had told me it meant there will be a death within a few days. That just stayed in my mind.

Have you had any supernatural experiences?
I’ve seen stuff I couldn’t explain. One of my parents’ houses was haunted, for sure. All the taps would turn on at once. All the doors in the house were wide open when you came home, with TVs turning on and off. I didn’t like that much. That was a creepy house. It got blessed and they burnt sage and stuff. In the middle of the night, every tap in the house would just turn on. How does that happen?

Sounds like it would make a good movie.
It’s not fun when it happens to you.

Which is more nerve-racking – being engaged or expecting a baby?
They’re both big deals, they’re both huge commitments. Wow. Each is equally nerve-racking in its own way because you’ve chosen to make on a huge life-altering decision.

Do you feel ready for a baby?
Yeah, I know I can do it. I’ve always wanted to be a mother so it’s a dream come true. I’ve known since I was a little girl. I used to take care of my brother who was only 18 months younger than me. I’m the oldest of 15 cousins. I’ve babysat them, changed diapers, fed them their bottles and burped them since I was about six.

How much time will you take off?
I haven’t thought about that. I’m living each day taking in these new things, the changes that are happening to my body and a growing baby.

What are you missing most that you can’t have now?
Sometimes I want a few glasses of wine. I get half a glass maybe once a week and I don’t even like it. It tastes different. My taste buds are different. I used to enjoy a nice dry cabernet and now I’ll have a few sips but it’s not the same. I don’t like meat any more either.

Are you a big wine buff?
I love wine. I like French cabernets, Bordeaux, Californian, too – the Coppola Merlot is really good and cheap. I’m more into dry wines. And also Scotch. I miss Scotch.

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