Jessica Biel's Gorgeous Transformation Through The Years
How did a midwestern girl with humble roots become one of Hollywood's most sought-after actors? Jessica Biel had her eyes set on fame at an early age, honing in on her craft when she was just a child with hopes of one day becoming a household name. All her acting classes eventually paid off, as she got her big break in 1996 playing the role of Mary Camden on the WB series "7th Heaven."
While the series cemented her fame, Biel's real acting prowess began to show in the early 2000s when she took on more action-packed roles in films like "Cellular," and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Biel has starred in dozens of films throughout her career, from horror and thrillers to comedies and dramas. But her extensive film resume has often been characterized as lacking in depth, as reports suggest she's often hired for her looks and not her skills.
She's been named Esquire's "Sexiest Woman Alive" in 2005 and People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 1999. But despite being praised for her looks, Biel denies the fact that it led to starring roles in Hollywood. "That wasn't really the case ... I felt like I was kind of on this pedestal a little bit, and it definitely didn't just open all the doors for me, which I thought it would," she told Radio Free Entertainment. Though the brunette beauty is known to many as being Justin Timberlake's wife, there's a lot more to her than what's printed in the tabloids. We're breaking down Jessica Biel's gorgeous transformation through the years.
Jessica Biel got her start in a Pringles commercial
From Pringles commercials to the big screen, Jessica Biel has had quite the transformation. Thanks to her ambition and drive, Biel got her first job as an actor for the chip brand when she was just 11 years old. "I had a mission as a kid," she told Harper's Bazaar magazine (per Biography). "I was just one of those kids who begged and begged. 'Take me to this commercial-acting class.' 'Take me to this play.' 'Take me to this audition.' And my parents just supported it."
Shortly after the commercial, Biel won a scholarship to the Young Actor's Space School where she studied for several years before landing the role of Mary Camden in "7th Heaven." Her Hollywood break was thanks in part to the help of her parents, who supported her acting endeavors while raising Biel's younger brother. "It was stressful, for sure: my mom leaving my brother when he was so little for months at a time; my dad having to deal on his own," the "Hitchcock" actor told Vogue. "Sometimes I look back and think, God, you guys were crazy for letting some twelve-year-old do what she wanted. I mean, they did everything for me."
Though she's made leaps and bounds from chewing on chips in a television commercial decades ago, Biel looks back on her childhood with fond memories. On a segment of "The Ellen Show," where her Pringles commercial was featured, Biel joked: "Man, I've really come up in the world."
Jessica Biel shot to fame with her starring role in 7th Heaven
Jessica Biel is often remembered for her many years starring as Mary Camden on the television series "7th Heaven." The show follows a minister and his wife and the trials and tribulations of raising their seven children. The series was, at the time, one of the longest-running family dramas in the U.S., lasting 11 seasons on what is now the CW network. Biel played the oldest daughter and second oldest child in the family in the series for six straight seasons before making guest appearances until Season 10. Decades later, she looks back on the show that shot her to fame with fond memories.
"...I wanted that part. I wanted any part. And that show was fun. I was a basketball player who was going through all the stuff that a 14-year-old goes through, which is, as you know, completely psychotic," she told W magazine of landing the show after years of auditions in Los Angeles. But Biel admitted that playing a character in a religious household wasn't always easy when she herself was a rebellious teenager at the time.
"I cut my hair super short and dyed it blonde. I had to apologize to Aaron Spelling [the producer] for doing that. He wasn't happy," Biel admitted. "When I turned 17 or 18, a really obnoxious friend sent a stripper to the set. I had to apologize for that too. The show was all about family values, and they took that position seriously. I was always apologizing."
Jessica Biel's scandalous photoshoot controversy
Jessica Biel was anything but an angel when the "7th Heaven" star posed topless as a minor and sent the media into a firestorm. In 2000 the actor posed in tiny shorts and nothing else for the cover of Gear, a former men's magazine, when she was just 17 years old. Though the photos weren't published until she turned 18, the move proved to be the most controversial decision of her career, especially since she starred as the daughter of a minister on the re-occurring television series.
The magazine published a profile on the artist in which it asked her if the racy pics could lead to her being fired from "7th Heaven." Gear quoted Biel as cheekily saying: "I hope so." The photo spread sent the tabloids into a tailspin, with Biel's co-star Stephen Collins (who played her father on the show) telling the Daily News at the time: "She's 17, a minor ... And as such, Jessica's photo spread was child pornography," adding that it wasn't a good look for his own children.
Biel reflected on the incident on the podcast "Awards Chatter" (per E! News) denying reports that she posed for the magazine to shift her career motives. "It definitely wasn't a calculated move on my part. I was not that smart to be making these calculated moves," she admitted. "It definitely never was meant to be some shocking, exposing situation ... I said yes to things that probably I should've said no to. It was just one of those things that got out of hand."
Jessica Biel began to take on risker acting roles
Jessica Biel left her role as a main character of "7th Heaven" in 2002 to pursue a college education, and returned only for a few guest appearances until Season 10. After attending Tufts University for only two years, Biel moved back to Los Angeles to pursue roles in feature films. While she tried her hand at romantic comedy alongside Freddie Prinze Jr. in the 2001 film "Summer Catch," and played the supporting actor in "Rules of Attraction," the films garnered lackluster reviews at the box office.
It wasn't until Biel's role in the horror movie "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" that the actor's riskier roles started to pay off. The film was a success, and it led to Biel taking on roles in more action and adventure-themed thrillers. The early 2000s saw her fighting vampires in the 2004 film "Blade: Trinity" and flying as a fighter pilot opposite Jamie Foxx in the 2005 movie "Stealth." While Biel was expanding her resume as an actor, people started to take her more seriously after her role in "The Illusionist."
Biel's talents also shone in the comedy world when she earned rave reviews for her role in the 2009 film "Easy Virtue." That led to several more box-office successes for the actor, including the comedy "Valentine's Day." Dramas proved to be an area the "Accidental Love" star excelled, with solid performances in the film "Hitchcock" and the television series "The Sinner." The latter earned the star a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series.
Jessica Biel meets her future-husband Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel's 10-year marriage remains solid against the test of time, and of course, Hollywood. The pair first met in 2007 fresh off of Timberlake's split with Cameron Diaz and Biel's breakup with Derek Jeter. The "Hitchcock" star kept the relationship close to her vest at the time, telling British Vogue (per Huff Post) "Justin Timberlake is the one part of my life that I own." The two dated for years until they briefly broke up in 2011 and got back together a few months later.
The pair got engaged that same year with Biel recalling the magical moment on "The Late Late Show." The star admitted her beau popped the question at their former Montana home, saying: "And we go up to the property to just check out how the foundation is looking. And all of a sudden, he gets down onto his knees and just sinks into the snow." She described the scene as "the most lovely surprising hilarious" moment.
The pair tied the knot the following year in a private ceremony in Southern Italy. Biel recounted the union to People admitting: "I had a little bit of butterflies," and adding "I was about to stand up in front of my friends and family and bare my soul for the person I love. It was terribly emotional." Biel didn't go the traditional route, choosing to walk down the aisle in a light pink Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown with Timberlake in a Tom Ford Tuxedo.
Jessica Biel's has worked with multiple charities throughout her career
Like many celebrities, Jessica Biel is no stranger to giving back. The "Playing For Keeps" actor has been involved in a multitude of charities throughout her career, even founding the now-dissolved "Make The Difference Network" alongside her father, which officially launched in 2008. The social cause connected non-profits with a social network of potential donors and also helped market small to medium-sized nonprofit groups to the rest of the world.
In an effort to support the clean water cause worldwide, Biel climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 2010 alongside members of the United Nations Foundation. She later joined Charity Water in 2011 and was honored with the "Impact Award" at Variety's "Power of Women" awards in 2012. Biel also partnered with Saundra Pelletier, the founding CEO of WomanCare Global, which works to educate women on contraceptives, sex, and the female body.
The "Total Recall" actor continues to use her platform for the greater good. She also supports Baby2Baby, choosing to support the charity ICAP Charity Day. "I'm happy to support a charity close to my heart, @baby2baby – an incredible organization that provides children living in poverty with diapers, clothing, and all the basic necessities that every child deserves," she tweeted in 2020.
Jessica Biel welcomed her first child
Jessica Biel welcomed her first child with Justin Timberlake in 2015. However, their months of labor training and plans for natural childbirth didn't exactly turn out how they expected. Biel opened up about undergoing an emergency C-Section in the book "The Nanny Connie Way: Secrets to Mastering the First Four Months of Parenthood" (via Vogue). "We had two midwives, one doula, one meditation birthing class, a ton of hippie baby books, and a lovely home in the Hollywood Hills that we had turned into a labor training facility that we called the Octagon," she admitted. The couple instead ended up rushing to the hospital for the unexpected C-Section.
Despite the birth being different than expected, Silas arrived as a healthy baby boy. The actor admitted he takes after his father, telling Today: "He is a ham, just like his dad — serious ham," adding, "He thinks everything is funny. He goofs on me all the time." The "Sinner" star revealed that motherhood has helped shape her acting career, telling E! News that she's developed a softer side after welcoming Silas into the family. "[Motherhood] informs everything in your life," she explained. "I'm more emotional, more sensitive, more everything to the world."
Having a child made Biel even more thankful for her own mother. "I've never been more thankful and grateful to my own mother. Oh, my gosh I'm going to call her right after this actually and just thank her. What you have to do for your kid — it's an amazing responsibility and the biggest joy ever," she told Today.
Jessica Biel opened (and later closed) a restaurant
Jessica Biel tapped into her entrepreneurial spirit in 2016 when she launched her kid-friendly organic restaurant and bakery "Au Fudge" in West Hollywood alongside her business partners Estee Stanley, Joey Gonzalez, Kimberly Muller, and Jonathan Rollo. The restaurant had a French-inspired menu and offered a kids' playroom staffed with au pairs for parents to dine while their children played nearby. The menu offered everything from rainbow-colored breads and cheesecakes to pasta and lamb eggs benedict.
But after just two years in business, Au Fudge shut its doors in 2018. "Thank you for so many years of support. Tomorrow is our last day open at the restaurant, but more things to come from Au Fudge," read the company's Instagram post at the time. Money may have had something to do with the decision, given Biel's previous comments during her 2017 "Jimmy Kimmel Live" interview. "The restaurant business is way harder than being a producer," she admitted at the time. "[We're] definitely not making money. Nobody's making money in the restaurant business, in my experience, at least not yet."
Biel's troubles weren't over after the restaurant closed, however. In 2018, The Blast reported that nine employees filed suit against Biel and her partners, claiming that nearly half a million dollars in tips from private events weren't given to the employees. The parties also claimed they lost $31,549 owed to them after Au Fudge management denied them missed rest breaks. Ultimately the case was settled in mediation the following year, with the terms of the agreement sealed.
Jessica Biel executive produced and starred in a television series
Biel isn't always exercising her talent in front of the screen. The "Playing For Keeps" star not only starred in but executive help produced the USA Network series "The Sinner." The series is based on a novel by Petra Hammesfahr and revolves around a mother who randomly stabs a stranger to death, resulting in a journey to unlock her missing memories surrounding the incident and her Catholic upbringing.
"Sometimes you just got to do it yourself," Biel said about executive producing the project at the show's premiere (via Variety). "Not that I'm doing this all myself, but I have this opportunity to develop this material with my producing partners, be a part of the casting process, work with the writers, work with our creator, and really be hands-on with the character arcs. As a creative person, that's the gold," she explained.
Biel earned an Emmy nod for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie for her role in the dark psyche-filled show. Her co-star Bill Pullman praised her work in the series, telling People: "She worked really intentionally there for the first season and now she comes back as producer. It's always really distinctive to have someone who is a leader that senses that a big part of her job is to kind of uplift and empower." The "Sinner" premiered in 2017 and ran for four seasons before premiering on Netlfix.
Jessica Biel weathers Justin Timberlake's PDA scandal
Jessica Biel is no stranger to scandals. All eyes were on the actor in 2019 when her husband Justin Timberlake was caught by paparazzi holding hands with his "Palmer" co-star and onscreen love interest Alisha Wainwright. In the photos obtained by The Sun, the singer was seen getting cozy in New Orleans with Wainwright drinking and chatting with friends on a night out. An insider told the publication that "At one stage he grabbed her hand and rested it on his knee. She then gently started stroking his leg," adding "Then he clutched her hand with both of his and was playing with her hands."
Timberlake apologized to his wife following the incident, writing on Instagram: "A few weeks ago I displayed a strong lapse in judgement – but let me be clear – nothing happened between me and my costar," he explained. "I drank way too much that night and regret my behavior. I should have known better. This is not the example I want to set for my son. I apologize to my amazing wife and family for putting them through such an embarrassing situation, and I am focused on being the best husband and father I can be. This was not that."
A source close to Biel told Us Weekly that "Jessica was very upset and embarrassed by Justin's behavior and thought it was completely inappropriate," adding "Jessica encouraged Justin to put his statement out on Instagram because she felt embarrassed by his actions and wanted him to take accountability and feel embarrassed as well."
Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake had a child secretly during Covid
Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake welcomed their second child Phineas during the Covid lockdown. The two kept the news of their second son private until the following January when Timberlake sat down for "The Ellen Show" (per People). The singer was overjoyed about the new addition, telling DeGeneres at the time: "He's awesome and so cute. Nobody's sleeping," adding, "But we're thrilled. We're thrilled and couldn't be happier. Very grateful."
Biel opened up about the birth on Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast, explaining, "I had, like, a secret COVID baby. It wasn't like it was supposed to be a secret. It was, just COVID happened, and then I went to Montana with my family and never left." Biel admitted that having a baby during a global pandemic was tough, but Timberlake was allowed to be in the delivery room to help ease her nerves.
As for whether or not her two sons will go into show business, the mother of two is keeping her options open. "My knee-jerk reaction is 'Oh God, no. Please no.' But then, I look at these kids and I'm like, 'Oh (expletive), they're probably going to be musical.' What are we going to do? Like, not let them play the piano? Or not let them take a voice lesson if that's their passion?"
Jessica Biel said she keeps her marriage 'fun'
With over a decade of marriage in the books, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel still find ways to keep their relationship fresh. When a fan mistakenly called Timberlake Biel's boyfriend, Timberlake took it in stride by uploading a TikTok video of himself featuring the fan's comment. "I don't know who you are but your girlfriend looks like Jessica Biel. Congrats," read the comment superimposed over the video of Timberlake jokingly saying: "Yeah....yeah."
Biel played it off as well by posting a selfie of her and her man to Instagram captioning it: "My boyfriend." The "SexyBack" commented on his wife's post, cheekily writing: "I know this sounds crazy but, will you marry me?" alongside a heart-eyed emoji. Fans loved the tongue-in-cheek response, with one user commenting: "I love how you guys are playing this whole thing up!!! I laughed my bass off over the 'your girlfriend looks like Jessica Biel' comment" alongside a laughing-crying emoji. It's like what they say ... if you can't beat' 'em, join 'em!
Jessica Biel said she feels 'so much more confident' in her 40s
Age is but a number, right? At least that's what Jessica Biel thinks when she admitted that she feels she's only getting better since she turned 40. "I just felt 'This is a good movement into a new decade,'" she admitted on The View, adding, "...I accept who I am and I feel good." She went on to admit that saying goodbye to her thirties didn't leave her with a sad sense of nostalgia. Instead, the "A Kind Of Murder" star admitted she feels more confident than ever.
Biel rang in her 40th birthday with her loved ones, celebrating the day with Justin Timberlake and their two sons. She took to Instagram to commemorate the day with a photo of her and her children writing: "Thinking of birthdays past and remembering all the amazing ones Justin and I spent solo. Now celebrating 40 with [cake and balloons] with my other two favorite guys on the planet. Love you family. Thanks for all the birthday love. 40 feels fresh y'all," she finished.