am practically naked in every movie I do. It's horrible." And there you have it… the curse and blessing of being Jessica Alba. Her latest flick, Sin City, continues with the "practically naked" trajectory of her career. And the bright and bubbly 23-year-old actress is neither apologetic nor embarrassed about it.   Based on the popular series of mid-'90s graphic novels by legendary artist/writer Frank Miller (who's considered somewhat of a maverick for the dark, brooding style of his art), the noir thriller, co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and Miller, features an impressive all-star cast: Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Rosario Dawson, Elijah Wood, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Hartnett, Mickey Rourke, Brittany Murphy and of course, the barely dressed Alba.   Alba, a Pomona, California native, plays Nancy, a young stripper who is the object of ex-cop Willis's misplaced affections. Preparing for her "dancing" scenes in Sin City was particularly unnerving for Alba, who admits, "I was so
nervous during [the shooting of] Sin City. I wore chaps and little underwear! I remember being in my hotel room, trying to get comfortable [with the prospect of playing a stripper]. Beyoncé's "Baby Boy" video kept coming on MTV, and all she had on was a short little thing," she tells Cosmopolitan magazine. "I was like, all right, if she can do it, I can do it."   Her Sin City character couldn't be further from the real person, who, despite her sexy image, grew up in an especially wholesome manner. She recently told Cosmo that even when she met future (and now ex) fiancé Michael Weatherly (her co-star on TV's Dark Angel) she was inexperienced in love. "I was so young, just 18, when I started dating him. I was a virgin." (Weatherly was 31 at the time). As for why the relationship failed, she says, "It's really difficult to have the same occupation as the person you're with-especially when you're both actors… I've decided I'll never date an actor again." These days she's keeping serious company with a guy she'll identify only as "Cash." "He's not famous," she says, with some relief.   Alba began acting lessons at age 12, and just nine months after her first lesson she was signed by an agent and quickly thrust into low-budget kids' films like Camp Nowhere and P.U.N.K.S. She then started to land roles on the Nickelodeon channel and on TV's Flipper.   At the seasoned age of 19 she scored her breakthrough role as Max Guevera on Dark Angel-a character that set the sexy tone for every part that followed. As the show's high-flying, butt-kicking sci-fi heroine, Alba proved that serious fight scenes mixed with a tight black bodysuit and a "girl next door" look are irresistible-at least judging by the number of magazine covers her image has graced (including this one) and her number-one ranking on Maxim's "Hot 100 Babe List" in 2001.   Admittedly, the actress's stock in trade has been her body. She confesses to mixed feelings about her practically naked films roles thus far, but says, "I always get inspired by other actresses who embrace their curves." In real life, her curves came earlier than usual. "I went through puberty really early, when I was 11. I think (girls) all go through wanting to go back-you're not sure you're ready for that body."   In keeping with her career choices, Alba will don a skin-tight suit to play Sue Storm (A.K.A. The Invisible Woman) in Fantastic Four, which opens in July. Also released that month is Into The Blue, a surf thriller in which Alba's clothing amounts to little more than a bathing suit the size of an eye patch.   Her Sin City role is both sexy, and, in the hands of director Rodriquez (who helmed the phenom film El Mariachi and the inventive trilogy Spy Kids), at least a little complex. Comic book violence, vengeance and corruption fill out the story lines-a cross between Pulp Fiction and the hard-boiled Humphrey Bogart flicks of the '40s and '50s. Deeply flawed characters cross paths and either love each other passionately, or kill each other in cold blood (sometimes both). In Rodriquez's hands, the story is modern, retro and bloody cool. And when Rodriguez does resort to splashes of vivid color on the mostly black-and-white canvas, it is to startling effect.   Of course, the special effects take a back seat when you have the doe-eyed, voluptuous Jessica Alba writhing on screen. Which only goes to prove that impressive visual effects aren't always computer generated. -Tom Jokic