14 DAY TRIAL // At the beginning of the year, word got out online that Chris Nolan was considering Jessica Biel for a part. Not only was that true, but Biel too wanted to be in the much-hyped film but didn't get the part.
In a brand new interview with Elle Magazine, the actress talks about all the roles she wanted throughout the years and that she didn't get. She says rejection is part of the job.
That of Catwoman in Chris Nolan's third and last Batman film, “The Dark Knight Rises,” was one of them – and the one that perhaps hurt the most not getting.
“Another one that got away. I was gutted. I mean, to work with Christopher Nolan in that kind of role?” Biel says of not landing the part.
However, the role she most regrets not getting is that of the female lead in “The Notebook” opposite Ryan Gosling, which eventually went to Rachel McAdams.
“The Notebook. That’s one that I wanted so badly. I was in the middle of shooting Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and I auditioned with Ryan Gosling in my trailer – covered in blood,” Biel recalls.
“Nick Cassavetes put me through the wringer in an interesting, exciting way. But there’s a million that get away. We’re gluttons for punishment. It’s just rejection,” she further says.
At the same time, Biel believes that there aren't enough leading roles for women in Hollywood, since they're mostly cast as second fiddle to a strong male character.
This is not always the case, but the exceptions are too few and far in between to make a difference. “It is not equal,” she stresses.
Another thing that Jessica has noticed in the past years is how the industry tends to limit her to playing only supporting roles, thus clipping her wings even before she gets off the ground.
“I play make-believe for a living, and this business is based on imagination and fantasy. And yet a lot of people get stuck. People don’t see the possibility and potential,” she says of always playing supporting roles.
Elle also asks the actress about her romance with Justin Timberlake, which she's just renewed, but she refuses to go into details, saying she wants to keep at least some things to herself, this included.