Jessica Alba Reveals Why a Fantastic Four Nude Scene Left Her Humiliated
Jessica Alba says filming the nude scene in 2005’s Fantastic Four was humiliating, recalling the pre-MCU Marvel shoot with director Tim Story and co-stars Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans, and Michael Chiklis.
Jessica Alba just looked back at a notorious moment from the 2005 Fantastic Four and, yeah, it was as uncomfortable for her to shoot as it was for a lot of us to watch. She says that strip-to-invisibility gag? Humiliating. Here is the context and what she had to say about it now.
Quick refresher
- Fantastic Four (2005) was a pre-MCU Marvel movie directed by Tim Story.
- Cast: Jessica Alba (Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman), Ioan Gruffudd (Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic), Chris Evans (Johnny Storm/Human Torch), Michael Chiklis (Ben Grimm/The Thing).
- It got a sequel in 2007: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
The scene she hated
In the first movie, there is a big bridge rescue. To slip past a wall of cops, Sue turns invisible and starts undressing so she can move without being spotted. The problem: her powers are glitchy, and she pops back into visibility mid-undress. It plays as a joke.
The sequel doubles down with a similar bit: Sue ends up unclothed in front of a crowd, reporters get photos, and then she vanishes again. So, yes, they ran that idea back and added cameras.
What Alba said
Speaking at the Red Sea Film Festival, Alba called the bridge moment her least favorite scene and said she thought it was awful. She also explained why it hit her so hard personally:
"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. I have a lot of whiplash from those days."
How she feels about Sue Storm
Here is the interesting part: Alba still has a lot of affection for the character. She feels Sue broke some of the lazy superhero tropes at the time. In her view, Sue was maternal and kind but not a pushover; she spoke her mind and served as a clear moral compass. Alba liked that anyone could look up to her. She also pointed out how, back then, women in these stories were often either in need of rescue by the guy or positioned as the problem. She thinks that has evolved for the better.
One more note on the new Fantastic Four
Alba has not watched Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps yet. She usually saves those for family movie time, and right now her son only wants to watch Sonic the Hedgehog on a loop — as in, 85 times in a row.