Jessica Biel finds it a “tricky balance” deciding how much of the showbiz life her children should see.
The 43-year-old actress has sons Silas, 10, and four-year-old Phineas with her husband Justin Timberlake, 44, and reflected on the challenge while discussing her eldest boy’s recent appearance with her at the 2024 US Open.
Jessica told InStyle the decision to attend the tennis tournament together was made carefully after taking into account Silas’ enthusiasm for the sport and the inevitable media attention it would bring.
She said about exposing him to the spotlight: “It’s a tricky one, a tricky balance. We do really try hard not to expose them in a way that they’re not comfortable with.”
Jessica also explained Silas is a “huge fan” of tennis and had expressed interest in attending.
Even though he’s still young, the actress added he was part of a conversation around whether to go to the tennis with her.
She said: “We talked about photographers – you know, ‘Are you comfortable with that?’
“He can’t make these decisions on his own, but at this point, we can at least discuss what’s his opinion around it.
“You really want to give your kids every experience. I don’t know if it was the right decision, to be honest with you, but he and I had a good time.”
Jessica and Justin, who married in 2012, have long kept their children out of the public eye.
But in August 2023, she made an exception, bringing Silas to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York, where the pair were photographed watching Karolina Muchova defeat Naomi Osaka in the second round.
Jessica also said exposing her children to potential public scrutiny remains a concern.
She added: “It’s scary every time. But it’s also their life. And so it’s this really tricky, tricky thing to figure out, what’s appropriate.”
The actress stressed despite the occasional public outing, she remains firmly against introducing her sons to social media.
As for any future in the entertainment industry, Jessica hopes they’ll wait until adulthood.
She said about Silas: “If he was a kid actor, he’d probably work all the time.
“And when you’re 18 years old, you want to be a professional? Have at it. That’s your choice. That’s what I would like to hold on to, if possible, for him, you know?”
The actor also spoke about the pressure of raising a family in the public eye, noting privacy was one reason the family relocated from the West Coast.
She told the ‘Let’s Talk Off Camera’ podcast in 2024: “We get hammered (by the paparazzi) in the West Coast. That’s why we don’t live there anymore to try and create some normalcy.
“No disrespect to anyone who feels comfortable doing that – that’s just our family choice.
“Maybe it’s a mistake. I don’t know.”
