Jessica Alba Doesn't Like To Be The Center Of Attention

Being beautiful has it's downsides, at least according to Jessica Alba.

"I'm shy. I don't like being the center of attention," Alba, 29, told Elle for their December issue. "But when I do comedy, I lose all inhibition and introspection. I no longer care." She wasn't always so nonchalant about her time in the spotlight, recalling past criticism of her work.

"I know I haven't been swimming in the deep end with some of the movies I've done. I wasn't trying to. I knew what they were," she said. "I'd been so afraid of criticism ever since I was young. Every time I'd get a critique or some redirection, I'd always just take it very personally, but now I have no problem with it. It's just a chance to try things a different way."

But she's become more selective about her roles, and more protective of her time. "The time I'm not spending with my kid has to be worth it, so when I sat down with my agents after I was ready to go back to work, I told them: It's all about the directors," she said. "Now I prefer I'm not the lead. it's a totally different approach."

She also had some unconventional advice about the craft of acting. "Good actors, never use the script unless it's amazing writing," she said. "All the good actors I've worked with, they all say whatever they want to say." –AMY LEE