Her exotic looks are a result of her Mexican, French, and Danish ancestry, and despite not speaking Spanish, she is widely considered as a Hispanic actor, which is a source of aggravation for her. “My father is Mexican and has a dark complexion, while my mother is light-skinned. For characters like Maria, the janitor’s daughter who hangs out with white kids, I used to experience (script) breakdowns all the time. I was born and raised in the United States of America. I had never considered it until the industry forced me to consider being a Latina. It appeared to be a strange occurrence.”
Jessica was born on April 28, 1981, in Pomona, California, to Mark and Cathy, who married in their teens and raised Jessica and her brother Joshua, who is also an actress, in a hamlet just south of Los Angeles. It appears that school did not suit the ambitious actress. She recalls, “I stopped attending to regular school when I was in seventh grade.” “I had high ambitions. From a young age, I was focused. I despised school. I didn’t have any acquaintances. I couldn’t wait to get out of there.” Jessica participated in acting classes at the Atlantic Theater Company, which was founded by playwright David Mamet and actor William H Macy, and she was soon signed by an agency.
In 1993, she made her big screen debut with the comedy “Camp Nowhere.” After another actress pulled out, Jessica was upgraded to a lead role, despite Jessica admitting that it was the likeness of her hair to that of the original actress, rather than her acting talent, that sealed the deal. She had small screen credits as well, appearing in The Secret World Of Alex Mack in 1994 and as Maya Graham in Flipper in 1996, recording the pilot for the iconic series. She spent 1995 in Australia filming the first season of the dolphin drama, which allowed her to indulge in her passion for swimming.
She had a constant stream of employment in her late teens, appearing in shows like Beverly Hills 90210 and films like Never Been Kissed with Drew Barrymore and Punks with Randy Quaid. But it was the action-packed sci-fi show Dark Angel that made her famous – not just in the United States, but also in the United Kingdom. She quickly rose to the top of’most beautiful’ lists, and magazines began to feature her on their covers.
She wasn’t always pleased with how she was portrayed, and she attempted to sue Playboy magazine after the publication used a promotional photo from her film Into The Blue on the cover, claiming that it deceived readers into believing she was nude in the issue. “It was in direct opposition to who I am and what I represent. I’d been putting forth so much effort to be someone else, and it wasn’t working out.” After obtaining an apology and charitable money, she dismissed the case. Jessica also demands a no-nudity clause in her contracts and has turned down the opportunity to show off her entire body in her part as a dancer in Sin City.
She has stated in Hollywood that she has a link to her Fantastic Four character Sue Storm, who has the ability to become invisible. “When I’m in a room with men in the industry who are heads of studios and have agendas to sell me as a sex symbol, and I’m telling them I have a brain and have been acting for 12 years, I feel insignificant.”
Despite several high-profile liaisons, she has mostly kept her love life out of the spotlight, protecting her privacy. She had a brief relationship with Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia after calling off her engagement to Dark Angel co-star Michael Weatherly in 2003.
Then, in May 2008, Jessica married Cash Warren, the son of actor Michael Warren, whom she met on the set of Fantastic Four as a production assistant. Honor Marie, the couple’s first child, was born on June 7, 2008.
One of the most popular scenes from Jessica’s career is shown below:
Source: hellomagazine.com