Jessica Alba Opens Up About Her Most Uncomfortable Film Scene
Jessica Alba reflects on a notorious scene from Fantastic Four, sharing why it was so difficult for her to film. Despite the challenge, she remains proud of her role as one of the few female superheroes of her era.
Jessica Alba’s career has never been about critical acclaim, but she’s managed to carve out a spot in pop culture, especially with her turn as Susan Storm in the first big-screen adaptation of Fantastic Four. While the films themselves didn’t exactly set the world on fire, they’re a reminder of what superhero flicks looked like before the Marvel juggernaut took over. Alba’s portrayal of the Invisible Woman remains one of her most recognisable roles, even two decades on.
At the 2025 Red Sea Film Festival, Alba revisited a moment from the first Fantastic Four that still makes her cringe. She spoke about the infamous scene where her character, in order to stay invisible, has to strip down, only for her powers to fail and leave her exposed in front of everyone.
“I thought that was awful,”
she admitted,
“It was very humiliating in real life. I grew up with a pretty conservative family, and I am a pretty modest person. I dreaded that scene for weeks.”
Uncomfortable Moments On Set
This wasn’t the only time Alba felt uneasy about her on-screen wardrobe, or lack thereof. She’s previously mentioned her discomfort during the filming of Into the Blue, where she spent most of the shoot in a bikini. Alba was one of the most prominent sex symbols of the mid-2000s, and studios seemed to know exactly what they were doing when they included scenes like these. It was a different era, and the industry’s approach to female stars was, to put it mildly, not exactly subtle.
Despite the awkwardness, Alba still has a soft spot for her time as Susan Storm. She described the character as
“a woman I looked up to”
, which might sound odd given the context, but it’s worth remembering how rare female superheroes were back then. Apart from a handful of exceptions, like Jean Grey in the X-Men films or the ill-fated Elektra, there wasn’t much in the way of strong female leads in comic book adaptations.
Legacy and Representation
Alba’s experience highlights just how little representation there was for women in superhero films at the time. The industry has changed a fair bit since then, but back in the early 2000s, Susan Storm was a rare example of a female hero on the big screen. That’s part of what makes the ‘naked scene’ so disappointing in hindsight—it was a missed opportunity to treat the character with more respect.
With Marvel’s original superhero family set to return to cinemas in 2025, there’s speculation about whether Alba might make a comeback. Chris Evans has already reprised his role in Deadpool & Wolverine, so it’s not out of the question. If she does return, fans will be hoping she gets the recognition and treatment she deserves this time around.