Nineteen-year-old Jessica Alba has played Devon Sawa's crush in "Idle Hands" and one of the popular girls in "Never Been Kissed." But starring in Fox-TV's "Dark Angel" is her biggest and most fun acting gig yet. Jessica plays Max, a genetically enhanced human prototype who's on the run. Where there's Max, there's action, suspense and romance - all brought to you by James Cameron, who also directed Leo DiCaprio in "Titanic." Eteen caught up with Jessica to ask her about the show, her character and her cute love interest, Logan, who's played by "The Last Days of Disco" s Michael Weatherly.

Jessica aspires to be like Susan Sarandon or Meryl Street - strong female actresses who are greatly respected. With "Dark Angel," Jessica is moving closer to that goal.

Jessica, your character on Dark Angel is a strong female. Have we seen a girl like Max before on TV?

I don't really watch that much TV, so I really don't know about other strong female characters, but I'm always attracted to strong girls. You don't take no for an answer, you just do what you've got to do... Why should we be quiet or meek?

Do you know women who embody those characteristics?

Madonna - she rocks. And my mom. She never takes no for an answer. She's really good and stubborn. She taught me how to be independent. I made the choice to be an actress and that was totally my choice. My parents gave me that freedom. I think it's excellent that Max chooses what she wants to do and just goes for it.

How does it feel to have the pressure of director James Cameron tailoring the role to you?

It just makes me even more committed to what I do. I'm not going to lie or compromise or be anything I'm not. He doesn't put up with egos, and I don't believe in that, so it just keeps me real. I can't care about whether people are going to like or not like the show, because who knows? You just have to go with it.

Who's the first person you called when you found out you had gotten the role?

My mom found out when I found out. I'm really close with my parents. We were all just really excited. I couldn't even talk. I was just jumping around.

You seem to be a very vibrant person, while Max is more subdued...

Max's heart and emotions are all enhanced. If she feels something, she feels something extremely. Those seizures are something she has dealt with since she was born. She tries to resist it. It's painful, but it just is what it is. And that's the least painful thing she goes through in a day. So imagine what it feels like when she does open herself up and gets her heart broken. So she has that 'whatever' attitude to try to not feel so vulnerable and affected by people. But it's going to come up. I think Logan has a way of stripping her layers.

Tell us about the love story between you and Logan.

It's immediate chemistry and then immediate backlash. He all of a sudden has an agenda and she realizes she's just part of a plan. Right the second she opened herself up, she was suddenly part of this agenda and she felt used, so she just closed right back up. She felt badly - her heart was used.

Stay tuned to see if Max will open up to Logan, Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. on Fox.