Alba was filming the Fantastic Four sequel 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer in 2007, but tough comments from director Tim Story took a serious mental toll on her and she contemplated walking away from Hollywood for good.
She tells America’s Elle magazine, “I wanted to stop acting. I hated it. I really hated it.
“I remember when I was dying in Silver Surfer. The director was like, ‘It looks too real. It looks too painful. Can you be prettier when you cry? Cry pretty, Jessica…’
“And then it all got me thinking: Am I not good enough? Are my instincts and my emotions not good enough?… And so I just said, ‘F**k it. I don’t care about this business anymore.'”
But after giving birth to daughter Honor in June 2008, she regained the confidence to return to the movie business.
She explains, “I’d been so afraid of criticism ever since I was young. Every time I’d get a critique from someone or some redirection, I’d always take it very personally, but now I have no problem with it. It’s just a chance to try things a different way.”
