Jessica Alba Rises to Prominence in the Early aughts
Jessica Alba first came to public notice with her roles in Drew Barrymore romantic comedy Never Been Kissed and 1999 horror-thriller Idle Hands, but her breakthrough came with writer-director James Cameron casting her in Dark Angel, co-created by him and broadcast on Fox sci-fi for two seasons with critical and commercial success; its success spawned numerous spinoffs, with Max’s role becoming the cornerstone of Alba’s career.
As well as her film roles since Dark Angel, Alba is most well-known for her work on television – particularly television movies and series like The Secret World of Alex Mack on Nickelodeon in 1994 and two seasons of Flipper as a water adventure series.
Alba has several film and television projects in development. Her Disney+ docuseries Parents Without Border will follow her around the world as she investigates parenting practices across cultures. Additionally, she will executive produce and star in Spectrum’s mystery series called The Killer Inside Me which is based on Jill Robertson’s novel of the same name.
Spectrum’s inaugural original content series premiered May 13 and was quickly renewed for another season a mere day later. Starring Michael Cook and Jessica Alba as detective and partner team investigating an unknown serial killer with supernatural powers, its premiere episode enjoyed strong ratings with mostly positive reviews from critics.
However, the show has its share of controversy. When filming took place in Oklahoma City, Alba caused controversy by pasting shark posters on buildings and other locations around town. She later donated money to Oklahoma City in support of their efforts to save endangered great white sharks.
Though its contents have caused contention, The Killer Inside Me remains an engaging thriller that showcases Alba’s acting skills. The cast is strong and its story has enormous potential; however, due to a lack of chemistry between Alba and Cook it becomes hard to buy into their love story; additionally the show tends more toward horror comedy rather than social commentary.
Dark Angel has since been cancelled, yet still retains a loyal audience. Alba’s performance as Max Guevara earned her both a Golden Globe nomination and Teen Choice Award nomination as Choice Actress – winning her both awards! After Dark Angel wrapped, Alba went on to do several other television and film projects such as Fantastic Four sequel Machete Kills as Santana as well as performing as Nancy Callahan again for Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, released in 2014. Additionally she founded Honest Beauty.