Blink and you WON'T miss Jessica Biel this coming season, with roles on the big screen in forthcoming rom com with Gerard Butler, 'Playing For Keeps' and as Vera Miles in bio-epic 'Hitchcock'. Plus, two of her films, the festive ensemble 'New Year's Eve' and sci-fi remake 'Total Recall' are coming out on DVD. Here, she reveals the extra challenge of thumping Kate Beckinsale in front of KB's husband, director Len Wiseman, and being in a constant state of 'fight or flight'...
Were you intimidated doing a big fight scene with the director's wife?
Yes. [Laughs] I didn't want to hit her in the face with her husband watching. It's [also] really different fighting with a woman. Usually it's with these big, burly stunt guys who take punches all the time, so if you make a mistake, it's okay. But it's Kate Beckinsale. You don't want to hit her. I didn't even want to touch her. It was very funny. It was a very polite fight. It was constant apologizing. [Laughs] It was very funny.
Did you do any special training for this movie?
Lots of boxing training, park-core training, weapons training.
What kind of weapons training?
This gun they created is an automatic pistol, which is illegal right now - maybe not in the future. So, it was just marksman training. Shooting training. The hardest thing to do with a gun like that with a huge kickback is to not blink. Shooting a machine gun, which I also shot in the film, it's way easier to not blink for some reason. I don't know why that is. Maybe because it's so much further away from you. When you shoot a pistol or a nine-millimeter glock, it kicks a fireball in your face. You're constantly like, [wincing] "I'm supposed to be such a badass right now but I can't stop blinking!" [Laughs]
You've acted in very different types of films. How do you choose your roles?
I'm just interested in everything. I'm curious about everything and I'm constantly curious if I can do something that I've never done before. I feel like, what is the point of doing something I'm pretty positive I know how to do? It's kind of boring. So, yeah, I'm bouncing all over the place just because it's interesting and it keeps me on my toes and it keeps me stimulated at a high level because I'm scared that I might fail, which is good for my ambition.
Do you choose projects yourself or are you swayed by your agents?
I definitely have the people around me for a reason. I do respect their opinions. The agents I have now I've been with for almost over ten years so they know me very well. I absolutely respect their advice. I do listen to them a lot. But also there are just things where I just can't get into that or I have to do that and I don't care what you say about it. It's so personal for me that I have to.
Do you ever find yourself in situations that you wish weren't real and wanted to escape to another reality?
Yeah. Sometimes. Let's get serious. This is a weird business. The reality of what we do on an every day basis is kind of bizarre. Sometimes I do feel like, wow, do I want this? There are moments when I wish I wasn't dealing with something.
What are some of the unpleasant elements of the business?
The paparazzi situation. It's a really bizarre situation to find yourself in. It's not a normal human experience to have people following you around. You constantly feel in a state of flight or fight. It's stressful. So I don't love that bit.
Do you feel it's getting worse?
It's pretty bad. [Laughs]
This movie deals with future technology. Are you a tech-savvy girl?
I'm not, really. I'm not a crazy tech girl. I like that stuff but I don't really have the patience to sit and learn about things. I have the new iPad but it's still in a drawer. I've got it but I'm still using my laptop. I'm sort of like that. I want to be up and involved in everything but I have this nostalgia for that time when you'd leave a message on an answering machine and you used a payphone. There's something about that time when you didn't know where everybody is all the time.
You said you enjoyed the adrenaline rush of making this film. Do you seek that same rush when you're not working or do you take it easy?
A. I'm not much of a "take it easy" kind of person. I really love, love the adrenaline of whatever it may be. For example, snowboarding. That's one of my greatest hobbies; fast, flying down a mountain, hitting a jump, crashing, maybe not crashing. Who knows? I love it. It's fun. I'm not a person that can just sit around. I have a really hard time lying on a beach. Some people can just lay on a beach forever. I'm there for fifteen minutes and I'm like, "Okay, volleyball, anyone? Paddleball? Swimming? Nothing? Okay." So I'm constantly that person.
What about scary stuff like diving with sharks?
I'm a huge diver. I love, love, love scuba. It's so great. I haven't gone diving with sharks yet. I'd love to do that. I haven't bungee jumped. The neck thing is a bit weird on a bungee jump. But I've skydived a couple of times, which I really liked.
Do you prefer people who are adrenaline seekers or do you have friends that can lie around on a beach?
I have friends of all walks of life and all types of personalities. I'm definitely not somebody who's going to force my way of life or my choices on anyone else. I would choose to travel or do certain things with certain people because I like to do things a certain way. I would pick carefully. But I have friends and all they want to do is lay on the beach and they're my best, best friends. I can get along with almost anybody.
Total Recall is out on Blu-ray and DVD on 26 December. Watch the trailer below...