Jessica Biel Returns to Film After Nine-Year Hiatus

Jessica Biel has returned to feature films after more than nine years away from the big screen, taking on driving stunts and an action-comedy role in Matchbox The Movie, which began streaming on Apple TV on October 9, 2026. The 44-year-old actress stars alongside John Cena in a project that also features a small appearance by her 11-year-old son, Silas, according to interviews published by E! News, People and Tribune.

Biel's last film role was in the 2017 drama Shock and Awe. Although she continued acting in television productions, including Candy in 2022 and The Better Sister in 2025, she said she had not recognized the length of her absence from movies until someone pointed it out.

Reflecting on the unexpected realization, Biel told People, as reported by Yahoo Style Canada, "That's weird to me."

She explained that her continued creative work on television had made the gap between film appearances less apparent to her.

"I didn't even know it was a return ... I feel like I've been constantly creative, but technically it's been on television. I'm not actually in film.

So it's just, it was really interesting when someone said that to me. It kind of blew my mind."

In Matchbox The Movie, Biel plays Aimee, an emergency medical technician who enjoys amateur race-car driving. The story follows childhood friends whose reunion turns into an international mission after Sean, played by Cena, returns to their hometown as an undercover CIA agent.

Biel said the screenplay, director Sam Hargrave and the opportunity to work with Cena and the wider cast influenced her decision to accept the role. The film combines action, comedy, friendship and romance, and marks her first on-screen collaboration with Cena, who plays her love interest.

"I have spent some years raising some small men folk," Biel told People when discussing the period away from film work.

She also described the project's appeal and her interest in its creative team.

"But I felt like number one, the script was amazing. It was so fun. I want to work with [director] Sam Hargrave, I really wanted to work with John Cena and our amazing cast, and be a part of something that encompasses all these different genres: action, comedy, friendship, a little romance."

Preparing for the production required Biel to learn performance-driving techniques for sequences involving an ambulance, a Volkswagen van and a 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback. She said the work demanded more physical strength and coordination than she had anticipated.

"I did a ton of performance driving which actually required a lot more strength than I thought."

The actress detailed the concentration required to control a vehicle during demanding maneuvers.

"Just the ability to like turn a car 180 degrees, stop it on a mark, you know, you're hitting a clutch, you're popping your pedals, you're like doing a million things at once and it takes a lot of strength."

Biel said raising her two sons, Silas, 11, and Phineas, six, with husband Justin Timberlake had shaped her perspective on work and physical readiness.

"I have an 11-year-old and a six-year-old now, and I kind of feel like myself again after 11 years, which sounds crazy. I really felt like I could trust myself to have the physical capabilities to do something like this again. And it was, it was perfect timing and felt like an opportunity that also my kids would be proud of."

At the New York premiere on October 5, Biel also revealed that Silas appears briefly near the end of the movie. She described her older son as interested in both acting and music, while noting that he has also developed an interest in DJing.

"My 11-year-old is a little bit of both," Biel told E! News.

She explained that his involvement in the film is limited to a small role.

"He plays a small part in the movie at the very end, which is really cute."

Silas's musical interests have also emerged alongside his acting experience.

"He's a DJ, so he's kind of interested in both lanes."

Biel said she and Timberlake intend to let their children explore their interests without rushing them into a particular career.

"We're just kind of letting him take his time and see what happens and what he really gets interested in."

The actress added that working with Cena has impressed her sons, who enjoy meeting performers they admire and watching action sequences being filmed.

"They're so funny. Like, I feel like their brains implode whenever they come to set, especially a set like this, where there's a hero of theirs that they're meeting," Biel said.

She described the physical action on set as another source of excitement for the children.

"There's cool action sequences, there's fight sequences."

Recalling her younger son's reaction to a staged fight, Biel said the distinction between movie action and reality was still difficult for him to understand.

"Is this real? Is this not real? John just got punched and he fell on the ground," she recalled.

She contrasted that reaction with Silas's greater familiarity with how films are made.

"I know what this is," she said, recalling her older son's response.

Her youngest son, however, remained confused by the scene.

"What's happening here? Cannot compute."

Biel also offered relationship advice to Matchbox co-star Arturo Castro, who had previously said she helped him plan his proposal to Lauren Hoover. The couple is expecting their first child, while Biel and Timberlake marked 14 years of marriage.

Drawing on her own relationship experience, Biel emphasized the importance of communication and continued effort between partners.

"Communication, communication, communication, and never stop dating," she advised.

She encouraged couples to maintain the attention and commitment they showed at the beginning of their relationships.

"Keep showing up for each other like it was the first day."