Jessica Alba admitted in a recent interview with US Elle that she “really hated” her profession and “wanted to stop acting” a few years ago. The reason? Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

The 2007 American superhero film garnered mixed to unfavorable reviews from critics. It was a sequel to the 2005 film Fantastic Four. Alba reprised her role as Susan “Sue” Storm Richards, the Invisible Woman.

Alba was a major reason for the Fantastic Four films’ box office success in the 1990s, but just because she was benefiting from the franchise’s popularity doesn’t mean she wasn’t dealing with some bullshit on set.

Alba said that the film’s director, Tim Story, nearly made her give up acting.

“I wanted to stop acting. The director was like, ‘It looks too real. It looks too painful. Can you be prettier when you cry? Cry pretty, Jessica.’ He was like, ‘Don’t do that thing with your face. Just make it flat. We can CGI the tears in.’ And I’m like, But there’s no connection to a human being,” she explained.

“And then it all got me thinking: Am I not good enough? Are my instincts and my emotions not good enough? … And so I just said, ‘F**k it. I don’t care about this business anymore.'”

She certainly bounced back after refocusing her career on romantic comedies, action films, and independent projects. Her time on the set of Fantastic Four has taught her the importance of picking projects carefully.

The performer also expressed dissatisfaction with being forced to follow the script, claiming that:

“Good actors never use the script unless it’s amazing writing. All the good actors I’ve worked with, they all say whatever they want to say.”

Alba has had to deal with sexism in the film industry, owing to the fact that several publications, such as the Daily Mail, have named her one of the most beautiful actresses in the world. No filmmaker nowadays can say “cry pretty” without being chastised on social media or in other outlets.

Alba still performs these days, but she devotes a lot of her time and energy to other projects that have paid off handsomely.