Jessica Biel is no stranger too playing characters with dark secrets. In her latest role, she portrays a high-profile media executive in The Better Sister, who may or may not be responsible for her husband’s death.

“When you line ’em up like that, it’s like, Okay, what is wrong with you? What is yoru problem?'” says Biel, acknowledging the pattern of troubled women she’s portrayed. However, she welcomes the opportunity to delve into these complex characters who conceal turmoil beneath the surface.

The Better Sister, adapted from a 2019 novel, follows Biel’s character, Chloe, whose seemingly perfect life is shattered when her lawyer husband (Corey Stoll) is murdered. The arrival of Chloe’s estranged sister (Elizabeth Banks) brings long-hidden family secrets to light.

Premiering on Prime Video on May 29, The Better Sister centers on Biel’s performance as a woman who initially appears composed, but gradually reveals hidden layers. “I just felt interested in this complicated woman who had this past she wanted to hide, and had all these big secrets,” she tells Vanity Fair. “I’m curious about humans who make really weird choices in moments of chaos,and in moments of extreme violence.”

From 7th Heaven to Complex Characters

Biel’s career began on the TV series 7th Heaven, but she later transitioned to the big screen, appearing in films such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Illusionist, and Total Recall.More recently,she has found success producing and starring in gripping television shows like LIMETOWN,Cruel Summer,and Candy.

“For so long,I really didn’t have the opportunity to play any parts like this. I was not really getting those chances.”

“For so long, I really didn’t have the opportunity to play any parts like this. I was not really getting those chances,” she says. “So I think I was just making up for some lost time.”

biel’s early role was as Mary Camden on 7th Heaven. After a controversy surrounding a photoshoot,she left the show to attend Tufts University,returning occasionally for the remainder of its run.

Despite appearing in 1346 episodes of 7th Heaven, Biel initially hesitated to return to television. “When I was coming up in this business, you were either a television actor or a film actor, you very rarely did a crossover,” she says, citing Jennifer Aniston as an inspiration. “She was my idol,” says Biel. “I was like, Oh my God, if only I could do this the way she’s doing it.”

A Shift in Focus

After starring in the 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Biel’s career took a new direction. “I jumped into a whole different genre then anything you’d ever seen me do before, and I feel like that was probably what got people to stop thinking about me as just a kid who was on TV,” she says. She then focused on films like Blade: Trinity,Valentine’s day,New Year’s Eve,and The Truth About Emanuel.”I was like, I’m never going back to television ever. I’m never doing that,” she says.

However, her business partner Michelle Purple convinced her to explore streaming opportunities. Together, they developed The Sinner, inspired by Petra Hammesfahr‘s novel. The first season starred Bill Pullman as a detective investigating Biel’s character, who had committed a violent crime.

The Sinner received critical acclaim, earning Biel Golden Globe and Emmy nominations and paving the way for her production company’s success. “I was super nervous about it. I was like,I hope this doesn’t end my career,” she says. “How we were experiencing television was so different from what I knew growing up.”