Dark Angel’s Sexuality Made Jessica Alba Uncomfortable

Date: May 16, 2012 | Author: Brent McKnight | Category: Sci-Fi

Sure the James Cameron-produced television series Dark Angel served as a launching pad for what has been a damn successful Hollywood career, but that doesn’t mean Jessica Alba doesn’t have regrets. Though only a slight 19-years-old, the sexual way her character Max Guevera (subtle, huh?) was presented made the actress uncomfortable, objectifying her and treating her character as little more than eye candy.

The 31-year-old Alba told Marie Claire:

I had a show that premiered when I was 19. And right away, everyone formed a strong opinion about me because of the way I was marketed. … I was supposed to be sexy, this tough action girl. … I felt like I was being objectified, and it made me uncomfortable. I wanted to be chic and elegant!

Granted, Alba didn’t start out with the greatest acting chops, but her character does spend most of her time kicking the crap out of people. I recently rewatched the first season of the short-lived series—which ran on Fox from 2000-2002—and the Dark Angel does not hold up well. Dated is a word that frequently springs to mind, and there are some painful moments.

Still, Alba has a point. No matter what the situation, there’s always a bare patch of skin between where her top ends and her pants begin. The show takes every opportunity to thoroughly douse her with water. Even in moments where she’s supposed to be “chic and elegant” the emphasis is definitely more on her curves rather than style. And then there’s the time where Max pretends to be a prostitute and falls in a swimming pool.

For those of you who don’t remember Dark Angel, let’s refresh your memory. After terrorists set off a massive electro magnetic pulse (remember the late 1990s/early 2000s when EMPs were all the rage?) Seattle becomes a pseudo-post-apocalyptic police state. Max is a genetically enhanced super soldier, born and raised for combat (she has cat DNA spliced into her genetic code, which makes for some truly magical moments in the show), but she escaped and lives as a bike messenger in the Emerald City. Not only does she have to deal with the usual drama that surrounds young people living in the city, and the oppressive political regime, but she also has to occasionally fight off highly trained military forces.

Comments

JT

Note to Jessica Alba: You can’t act. The sexuality which made you uncomfortable is also the only reason you’re famous, so you should probably loosen up.
- http://twitter.com/serenityfound Saralyn
  
  There’s a difference between sexuality and being sexualized, though. Sexuality is something that you have some agency in, with sexualization you don’t. I think that’s more what made her uncomfortable (regardless of whether it made her famous or not).
  - JT
    
    I’d mind less if she had some other talent besides looking sexy, but she really doesn’t. If Meryl Streep said this we’d all respect it and agree. But this is akin to a stripper complaining that men keep looking at her when she’s on stage.
Jon

Jessica Alba is an actor?
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000391764798 Matt Norris

The only reason she had a job was because God made her attractive. He didn’t make her a thespian. It’s sad she thinks she had more to offer.
Katie

Does no one have anything good to say about her and that show??? I loved Dark Angel! And while she isn’t my favorite actress, I do like her acting. Wish they could have ended the show better, but a lot of good shows end up too short lived with bad finales. Imo
- http://twitter.com/BrentMMcKnight Brent McKnight
  
  I totally love that show. I own both seasons and want to track down the video game. And I hate video games.
Dave

Man, you three are a bunch of assholes.
JustinHall1

I love dark angel, bad acting and all,… Granted mostly because Alba looks so good in it…but still it was a good premise as far as sci-go goes and I wish it had time to mature. It still makes me mad the way they left it hanging, like if the walking dead hadn’t come back after the first season…
- JT
  
  ” Granted mostly because Alba looks so good in it.” Exactly. Upvoted.
  - JustinHall1
    
    Just throwing this out there. I think her acting was better in Dark Angel than it was in Fantastic Four. That was just sad. (But then again I think she looks awful as a blonde so maybe that affects my judgement?)
daniel c

dark angel was very much a show of its time so of course it gonna look dated 12yrs later. i was and still am a huge fan of it (even have a barcode tattooed on the back of my neck) and would of loved to of seen a final season.
- JustinHall1
  
  Like,…but you’re an idiot for the barcode tattoo. No offense.
- Xen11
  
  I hate tattoos, but I think the barcode is fucking awesome and if I had to get a tattoo, a barcode on the back of my neck would probably be highly likely.
  
  Dark Angel will never be dated.
M3NDEREZ

Okay, I loved Dark Angel, still do in fact.. Sure it looks dated, but that’s almost part of the charm. I still watch the occasional Episode of La Femme Nikita and Highlander too, and they suffer the same way, but are still enjoyable.

What’s laughable is Jessica Alba convincing herself that the was cast for any other reason than her looks.. C’mon, she wasn’t anything more than a mediocre actress at the time, and she got a break because she was a hottie. Don’t whine about it, embrace it.. She’s had a good career out of it, and she’s an above average actress now, so well done to her. But for the love of God, don’t whine that you get a break through being cast as a piece of ass when there were far more accomplished (but less attractive) actresses out there at the time..
http://www.facebook.com/BLACKBALLER8 Kenny Junior

SHUT DA F–K UP, JESSICA ALBA DID ACT WELL. WHO SAYS SHE COULDN’T ACT NEEDS TO BE ASS KICKED!
BK

So then she went on to do “Sin City”?

Giant Freakin Robot