Interview: Jessica Biel

While Jessica Biel gets that her role as determined V-Day party pooper in Garry Marshall’s Valentine’s Day is just fiction, it seems that art on occasion can imitate her own life too. The former Blade girl avenger who doesn’t mind kicking enemy butt though she draws the line at baring her own in a movie, met to divulge what does and does not turn her on when it comes to a holiday that’s all about romance, faking loneliness on screen even though she’s got Justin Timberlake on the sidelines now and then, and how junk food can go a long way towards smoothing over infatuation blues.

Q: This movie is all about Valentine’s Day, LA style. So what do you love about LA? Or do you?

JESSICA BIEL: Hmmm…Real Foods Daily. And the fact that you can go to the mountains and the ocean, with no more than an hour drive.

Q: Your character in Valentine’s Day has really bad luck with men. It’s hard to swallow, considering that you’re Jessica Biel.

JB: Yeah, that’s probably true!

Q: And do you think just longtime best friends can really end up falling madly in love?

Jessica Biel in Valentine's Day

JB: I guess that’s been more…my experience!

Q: Okay, what do you think is the key to a successful relationship, especially in LA, where careers can kind of take over.

JB: Having fun. And just being able to laugh.

Q: Jessica, your character was really sad and got into candy instead after a romantic breakup. What’s your own advice when you have a romantic disappointment? Is it candy, cookies and a gallon of ice cream?

JB: That’s where it usually starts for me!

Q: Now about your pity party in this movie, an actual party for everyone who hates Valentine’s Day. How about any alternative ways when you’re not into celebrating the day?

JB: Not taking it too seriously.

Q: Speaking of partying, how do you and Justin manage to keep the paparazzi away, and stay out of the spotlight when you’re out there?

JB: We just don’t do anything. We don’t do anything interesting! We just hang out at home. And you have to be really careful about, you know, once you’re gonna go there, you really are opening your life. Because it’s already so open anyway.

Q: Would you ever do anything with Justin in a movie?

JB: If it was the right thing, yeah. Yeah, I would. I don’t know what the right thing is, though!

Q: How come you’ve had such a huge variety of roles?

JB: I really go after things with a vengeance. And I’m just doing that for me. I just want to stay interested in what I’m doing. I mean, if I did Blade movies over and over again, I would be bored out of my mind. But doing one is great.

Q: Anybody you admire that you’d like to act with in the future?

JB: Oh yes. Let me see…The Kates: Winslet and Blanchett! Um, Sean Penn. De Niro…And I’d love to work with girls my age. Like Natalie Portman, or Rachel Weisz. God, so many people. I’m just blanking right now!

Q: Would you be in any movie regardless, if say De Niro was in it? Like “Yeah, I’m on.”

JB: Hmm…No! No, I wouldn’t. I was actually looking at this Robert De Niro film. And there was so much nudity in it, that I was just like, I can’t do this. Damn! You know?

Q: How come?

JB: There’s so many elements that you have to think about. And it took me a long time to really, finally say no to that one!

Q: Is Valentine’s Day so important, or should you be romantic the rest of the year too?

JB: Just do it! All day, and all year long.