Jessica Biel on Juggling Careers and Motherhood: 'We Didn't See Justin for Eight Weeks'
The actress detailed the logistical challenges of raising two children while she and Justin Timberlake maintained demanding global schedules.
Jessica Biel has shared the intricate family logistics involved in managing her acting career and husband Justin Timberlake's touring commitments while raising their two sons. The actress described periods where the family was separated by continents for weeks at a time.
Appearing on the SmartLess podcast, Biel, 44, explained the challenges during Timberlake's recent global tour. "Justin was in the middle of the global tour, which was insane. He was literally in South America... or he was in North America and I was in Budapest with the kids," she recalled. "They came for seven weeks. We didn't see Justin for eight weeks."
Following this period, the family reunited in the Bahamas for a week before Biel traveled to Morocco. Timberlake then went to South America, and their children returned to Montana. "It was wild," Biel stated, emphasizing the crucial role of her support team. "The only way it works is the incredible nanny team, support team, assistant team, colleague team. I cannot do this. My life does not function without like all of those incredible people."
Biel, who shares sons Silas, 11, and Phineas, six, with Timberlake, also discussed her nine-year hiatus from acting. She attributed this break to the physical and emotional adjustments following childbirth. "After you have kids, your body does crazy things," she told People. "And you’re like, when is this body ever going to feel like mine again? I kind of feel like myself again after 11 years, which sounds crazy."
Her return to movies with the Apple TV+ film Matchbox: The Movie, where she plays an EMT and amateur race car driver, was influenced by her children. "It just was the perfect timing and felt like an opportunity that my kids would be proud of, that they could see. And that maybe they’d think I was kind of cool because, you know, cars and stuff," Biel said.
Even Silas, her older son, has a small cameo in the film. "He plays a small part in the movie at the very end, which is really cute," Biel shared with E! News. While her sons approved of the action-packed movie, Silas did express an opinion on one of Biel's costumes: "My son Silas was very concerned about the green dress. He was like, 'What are you wearing, Mom? Yuck!'"
The film Matchbox: The Movie, also starring John Cena, premiered on Friday.