Hustle And Glow

A-LIST BEAUTY TURNED BUSINESS MOGUL JESSICA ALBA GETS HONEST

- Laura Brown

“Can we, can we, gurgle…blah…eek,” they say while Alba poses gamely for pictures. They let out a squeak and flee. You see, Jessica Alba is really popular. And she knows it. But her capitalising on her popularity, stemming from an acting career that started in her teens, is not like something out of a sorority—it’s much more conscientious, more type A, than that. While Alba, 37, knew a while ago that she was big-screen beautiful and charismatic (and looked damn fine in a swimsuit), she was already diligently calibrating a more global and lasting success. So here she is, married 10 years to longtime love Cash Warren, a mother of three (Honor, 10, Haven, 6, and Hayes, 8 months), and the founder of the most colossal born-from-celebrity mamahood business successes, The Honest Company. Alba is returning to TV too, having recently filmed the pilot for L.A.’s Finest, a Bad Boys spin-off, with Gabrielle Union. But right now, she’ll just have a vodka soda and some self-analysis, please.

LAURA BROWN: In the magazine world you are quite literally consumer marketing’s favourite cover girl. When did you realise you were not only attractive but also “commercially viable”?

JESSICA ALBA: I worked really hard at the commercial viability. There are plenty of much better-looking and more talented people in this town than me, who are trying to break into this business. So I’ve always felt like I needed to be two steps ahead and ready for any of the opportunities coming my way. I wanted to set myself up for success. I did that by making sure I was relevant in every marketplace that mattered to the studios.

LB: How?