Jessica Biel is back in movies after a gap of more than nine years, returning to the big screen in the action-adventure Matchbox the Movie alongside John Cena.
Biel said the length of the hiatus surprised even her because she never felt that she had stopped being creative. During that period she continued working in television while also focusing on raising her two sons with husband Justin Timberlake.
Jessica Biel makes her movie comeback
In Matchbox the Movie, Biel plays Aimee, an EMT and amateur racing enthusiast who becomes caught up in a globe-spanning adventure. The role required substantial performance-driving work and gave the actress an unusually physical return to feature films.
Biel said the timing felt right because she has begun to feel more like herself again as her children have grown older. She also liked the idea of taking on a project her sons could be excited to see.
The movie brings together Biel, Cena, Arturo Castro, Sam Richardson and Teyonah Parris in an ensemble built around Mattel’s Matchbox brand.
A busy Matchbox launch
The release has already generated several stories around its stars. Celebrity Daily recently covered Biel and Cena’s Red Cross pledge drive connected to the movie’s launch.
For Biel, however, the film also marks a personal career milestone. After years in which television projects such as Candy and The Better Sister kept her on screen, she is once again leading a feature-film production.
Matchbox the Movie began streaming on Apple TV on October 9, giving audiences their first new Jessica Biel movie performance in nearly a decade.