Jessica Biel’s favourite childhood movies: “It’s completely revealing”
Jessica Biel is one of those actors whose face and name you definitely know, but you might not necessarily know where from or why.
You might know her as Justin Timberlake’s wife, or more than likely, you remember her from the gripping first season of Netflix’s crime thriller The Sinner. Critically acclaimed for its first season, she produced and starred in the show, which arrived during the 2010s’ flood of twist-heavy TV shows.
She starred in many action and comedy films throughout the noughties and 2010s, including Blade: Trinity, Total Recall and The A-Team. But well before any of that, she was actually a child star. Training to be a vocalist as a child, she starred in many hometown plays before becoming a model. After a few years of auditioning for TV pilots, she landed a role in 7th Heaven at the age of 14. A family drama on the iconic WB network in the 1990s, she appeared in six of its 11 seasons, before making her big break in the 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
As an actor who spent their childhood trying to break into the entertainment industry, you would expect her film tastes to be shaped by those decades. And, you would be entirely correct. After all, she was born in the 1980s and grew up through the ’90s, an era renowned for its entertainment gold. Interviewed by journalist Lynn Hirschberg for her Screen Tests series for W magazine, Biel let slip her favourite films as a child.
“I’m thinking [The] Goonies,” Biel remarked at the beginning of the video. There aren’t many ’80s kids who wouldn’t have The Goonies near the top of their lists. Hell, I’m a ’90s kid, and it’s on mine. For any younglings who might have missed out, the film isn’t just any teen adventure comedy. It is one of the teen adventure comedies, with such a cultural impact that it has been selected for preservation by the US National Film Registry for its “cultural, historical or aesthetic significance”.
It was directed by action blockbuster icon Richard Donner, written by Chris Columbus and based on a story by Steven Spielberg, a trifecta of nostalgic movie greats. The film follows a band of misfit kids on the hunt for hidden treasure as a means to stop the foreclosure of their houses. Starring the likes of Josh Brolin, Sean Astin, and Corey Feldman, it is the perfect mixture of nostalgic aesthetics, gung-ho adventures and great performances. It’s no surprise it’s the favourite of a former child star.
“But also, my favourite, favourite movie as a kid, like a young girl was Dirty Dancing,” she added excitedly. Once again, an unshocking choice. Dirty Dancing walked so that Titanic could run. The film probably needs little introduction, just like her former choice, but for those unaware, it follows Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Gray as unlikely dance partners in a high-end American resort.
Also included in the National Film Registry, its legacy outdoes even that of The Goonies. Its iconic final dance scene with that lift and its original song ‘(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life’ are iconic cultural references that even those few who haven’t seen the movie probably know well. It shot Patrick Swayze to stardom and spawned a whole franchise.
As Biel goes on to say, the films are “completely revealing of character”, probably referencing their now slightly gauche standing, well more Dirty Dancing than The Goonies. Really though, they just reveal her as a down-to-earth person born and tied to the 1980s, which honestly goes for most of the world at this point, considering the fact that both movies have upcoming remakes.
An untitled Dirty Dancing sequel was scheduled for release this summer, but little more has been heard on the project since principal photography began last year. As for The Goonies 2, it was confirmed as officially in the works this year, with Spielberg and Columbus’ names attached. So, only time will tell if these upcoming projects stand up to their originals. The reality is probably they won’t, but undoubtedly many, many ’80s kids will be lined up to watch.
