Thanks to Sereena for transcribing

UK Star magazine

It may be a boiling hot in Los Angeles but Jessica Alba, star of Sky One’s Dark Angel, looks cool, calm and very collected in her knee-length dress and her high-heeled sandals. One thing you can’t help notice about her is that in the flesh, she’s gorgeous.

After small roles in films including Drew Barrymore’s Never Been Kissed , and Idle Hands starring Devon Sawa, a 20-year-old Jessica finally made her name in Hollywood when she was cast as Max in the sci-fi series. But as star* discovered there’s no way she’s going to get caught up in the fickle world of showbiz…

DARK ANGEL HAS MADE YOU FAMOUS IN A SHORT TIME – HAS IT BEEN A WHIRL WIND?
Yes, but I’ve been working since I was 12 so I understand hard work. I’ve just never had the kind of fame or exposure before that I’ve had from this show. Dark Angel is a product that needs to be endorsed and the way they do it is to put you on commercial spots, on billboards and in magazines. If people aren’t aware of you, they’re not going to tune in. Its not because there’s anything particularly unique about me.

BUT YOU WEREN’T AFRAID OF SERIES CREATOR JAMES CAMERON – WHERE DOES THAT CONFIDENCE COME FROM?
The whole thing about fame is you hire a publicist for $2000 (about £1300) a month to make you famous. That’s what you do. What about those people who have worked on independent films for 10 or 15 years? They don’t get noticed like someone who’s on TV – but the person on TV’s considered to be a big star. My perception of Jim Cameron is that he’s very talented, so when I got the audition I was like, “I get to act for a whole hour with one of the best directors. Who cares if I get it or not?”

HAVE YOU HAD A MOMENT TO REALLY THINK ABOUT WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU?
Its all just kinda happened and you have to take it in as you want. I don’t put any added anxiety on stuff. And that’s not my soul there on the magazine covers. That’s just the part of a product I am trying to endorse. My heart is with my family and friends and that’s it. Work is just work and its separate from your personal relationships, and as long as you keep it separate and understand the difference, I think its cool.

YOU WORK WITH YOUR FIANCE (MICHAEL WEATHERLY WHO PLAYS LOGAN ON DARK ANGEL)- ISNT IT DIFFICULT TO SEPARATE WORK FROM YOUR PRIVATE LIFE?
No, because work is different than being at home. I make it different. It’s nice to have him around when we’re on the set though.

ARE YOU ANYTHING LIKE YOUR CHARACTER MAX?
I think the stubbornness is a big one. I have a hard time telling people exactly how I feel. I don’t hide the emotion in my heart, but I hide the emotion in my words. So I don’t say people exactly how I feel. I don’t hide the emotion in my heart, but I hide the emotion in my words. So I don’t say “You’re hurting me”, I’ll say “You don’t affect me.” But I’ll be crying. Max does that. Also, I don’t have many friends and neither does she. The people Max chooses to be around are very selective good-hearted people she understands.

IS IT TRUE YOU DO MOST OF YOUR OWN STUNTS ON THE SHOW?
Yeah, the majority of them are me. The things that aren’t me drops off a 20-storey building. All the martial arts stuff is me and so is all the bike riding – except for the wheelies.

DO YOU GET STRESSED OUT?
Oh yeah. The show’s called Dark Angel, and I’m the dark angel! I’m in every scene. I do a lot of the action. James Cameron’s name is on this, the studio is putting a lot of money behind this. It can be stress, but I just have to do my job and do the best I can. That’s all I can do.

HOW DO YOU DE-STRESS?
Massages and baths. I love walking around Stanley Park in Vancouver and when im here in LA, I like to go to the beach and hear the water. I love nature and I go hiking. I don’t really go out clubbing.