Jessica Alba says acting is 'like a drug'

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- Jessica Alba has come a long way since Dark Angel launched her to stardom.

While interviewing for the March issue of Nylon magazine, the 32-year-old actress disclosed that there was a time when she was really afraid of people's opinions. Those days, however, are long gone.

"Before, I was so fearful of failure and judgment that I was scared to put myself out there," Alba told the magazine, adding that she eventually realized that "you don't have to be a robot, you don't have to be appropriate all the time."

The Machete Kills star went on to say that after going for "tentpole movies that were going to be big and global," she now wants to work with "directors who I think are cool, and on movies that I think are fun and characters that I think are interesting, whether that's an indie or a big movie."

"It's been liberating to be able to play someone who's a badass or promiscuous because that's the opposite of who I am ... It's like a drug," Alba said.

Alba will next be seen in the TV mini-series The Spoils of Babylon alongside Tobey Maguire and Kristen Wiig.

Jessica Alba (Nylon)

[Nylon] [People]