While she’s been living it up as the face and founder of The Honest Company for the last few years, Jessica Alba finally got honest about why she quit acting at “the top” of her career. Despite assumptions the decision was influenced by the rise of tabloids scrutinizing her every move as a young star, the main reason she made a change says a LOT about the mother she’s grown to be!
Related: Beverly Hills, 90210 Star Says Jessica ‘F**king Lied’ About Eye Contact Rule!
Speaking to Romper in a new interview on Wednesday, the Fantastic Four alum opened up about why she (mostly) ditched the limelight in 2008 after having her first daughter, Honor. Discussing her own childhood and recalling the pressure of becoming a parent herself, Alba shared:
“My mother had cancer at a really young age, in her early 20s. I grew up with chronic illness. I had five surgeries before I was 11 years old. I had chronic allergies, and I was hospitalized a lot as a child. I had this real moment of, I want to live, and thrive, and spend as much time with this little person that I’m bringing into the world as possible and stay. So, my health matters. I want this little person to be healthy. And it’s really freaking hard to be happy when you don’t have your health.”
Elaborating on her desire to be healthy and happy instead of continuing to act, she added:
“That’s really what motivated me. My motivation was not like, ‘Am I ever going to get hired again?’ Frankly, I was at the top of my career. I couldn’t go back to what I was doing before and be authentic. I just couldn’t. I didn’t care about it the same way.”
While the Golden Globe nominee captivated audiences in movies and shows like Dark Angel, Never Been Kissed, and Beverly Hills, 90210 (just to name a few of her many credits prior to having kiddos), telling stories just wasn’t enough.
“I felt like if I was going to have this platform, then what can I do with it that could be meaningful and make a difference? That just felt so real when I became a mom for the first time.”
Wow! Her now 12-year-old daughter clearly had a significant impact on shifting her viewpoint as a Hollywood creative. Since then, she’s gone on to build an incredibly successful wellness company (all while having two more mini-mes with husband Cash Warren)! Not to mention still finding time to dabble in acting, such as her latest stint on L.A.’s Finest alongside Gabrielle Union. But all of these career changes took a lot of work, especially her company which she seems most proud of. The 39-year-old explained the early days of Honest, noting:
“Building a brand and building a business is f**king impossible. And to be good at it and for it to thrive and scale, it is really hard. If anything, I was like, ‘Do I really want to do this?’”
Related: Jessica Went To Therapy To Learn To ‘Communicate Better’ With Daughter
After leaving an industry known for brutal and busy schedules, we can only imagine why the producer had second guesses about pouring so much of herself into her entrepreneurial ideas! Because while she may have been an elite in Hollywood, investors and business partners were apparently not so desperate to link arms with an actress. The California native told the outlet:
“It took me three-and-a-half years just to find partners to even join me, and I got lots of rejection. I had to learn how to build decks. In every stage, I’m trying to get better and better as a business person, but it’s a totally different skill set than just taking your influence and fame and putting your name on a package and doing a press tour, picking out a couple designs.”
She makes a big point there! Alba has obviously taken initiative in this brand, building it from the ground up rather than just jumping in at the end for a sponsorship deal like so many celebs these days. Major kudos to her for that, especially since the star faced her fair share of lawsuits even, thanks to the company. Customers were up in arms over the safety and quality of Honest products, including its sunscreen, diapers, and more.
All in all, it’s clear she finally found her purpose in “something bigger” than just acting — though we can’t help but want her to take on a few more projects from time to time. LOLz!
Reactions to this reveal, Perezcious readers? Does it surprise you that the birth of her children caused Jessica to reevaluate her life priorities? Let us know in the comments (below)!
The post Why Jessica Alba 'Just Couldn't' Keep Acting & Decided To Quit At 'Top' Of Her Career! appeared first on Perez Hilton.
