Jessica Alba stars in the new film The Eye, to be released this Friday. Alba plays a blind woman who has has donor corneas implanted to restore her sight. Her new sight, however, includes things that other people don't - and shouldn't - see. The News-Letter had the opportunity to sit in on an interview with Alba on Tuesday, to discuss her new movie and her career. The interview was a roundtable, with many interviewers asking questions. Alba, who we might expect to be more of a pretty face than an eloquent speaker, was very professional and well-spoken.
Arizona State University: In the past year or so you've done a lot of action comedy, thriller and now a horror movie. My question is what kind of roles do you find yourself gravitating more towards now that you're going to be a mother? And is there any type of role that you haven't done yet that you'd like to try?
Jessica Alba: I think initially I'm going to probably do maybe a little bit more character-driven roles, kind of more indies, ensemble casts, smaller budget. Not necessarily the big box office movies. I've had my eye out for an action movie since I finished Dark Angel. It's been this long since I finished and I still haven't found a good female-driven action [movie], so I've been looking for it. So if you have any suggestions send them my way.
Northwestern: What sort of research did you do for the role? How did it feel to have to pretend to be blind at first?
JA: I went to a blind orientation center in LA and one in New Mexico. I lived among people who were learning to deal with blindness. I learned how to read braille, walk with my cane, label everything in the house. Just sort of learn how to exist as someone who has blindness. I also spent time with a girl who's been blind since she was two. She's a vocalist. She's in her late twenties, speaks three different languages, travels around Europe by herself, travels around the States by herself, lives by herself, goes to Boston University, converts all of her textbooks to Braille. So she's really my inspiration because she was so self-sufficient and so independent. I never knew anyone who was blind. And certainly any connotations I had with people who are blind in that they can't be self-sufficient or live like anybody else were just thrown out the window because she was quite extraordinary.
Wesleyan: I remember the Hong Kong version of The Eye to be very, very original. And with the remake our American audience is going to be treated to a similar experience.
JA: It is. It's definitely catered to American audience, the more Western way of thinking about ghosts, you know. You're familiar with the Eastern way of making ghost stories and these horror movies. It's definitely more part of a culture that is more accepting of spirits and mysticism. They just have a different mentality about it. And in Western culture people think you're absolutely nuts if you believe in ghosts or if you see ghosts and yeah, you're basically going insane. And so we dealt with the ghosts in this film similar to that.
News-Letter: Continuing in that vein, do you think this sort of transition between the two cultures that there could have been anything lost to the American audience that the Hong Kong audience would have had in the original?
JA: The Hong Kong version was more bitter than sweet in the end. And ours was definitely bittersweet, without giving anything away. But in the [original's ending], people kind of didn't think she was as nuts - a few people were on her side and went for the ride. And in our version, you know, absolutely no one believed her. And everyone thinks she's completely lost it. So we're really playing up the insanity.
MIT: Hi, Jessica. What do you think that your fans can expect from you in this role as far as your maturity and growth as an actress?
JA: I think a lot of people have seen me primarily in popcorn movies. And mind you, this one is as well but this one is a more complex character. It's not as one dimensional and kind of weighty. She's definitely grounded and more of a reality and feels, I don't know, just not as glamorous. Or as glamorized as the other characters that I've played.
Outlet Unknown: Hey, Jessica, congratulations again on the baby. And how do you think that's going to kind of affect your career down the road?
JA: I think I answered this before. But I don't know. I mean, I have to believe that when you have a child and you have someone that, you know, needs you and needs your time you kind of can't be self [interested] anymore and you have to consider that any time you spend away from your child is invaluable. And so I think I'll just probably be a bit more choosy and not work for two years straight like I just did.
