Sweet 16--And Very, Very Busy

Jessica Biel is posing for photographs in the office of her Beverly Hills publicist. Observing the photo shoot are her father, makeup artist and publicist.

Despite the star trappings, Biel seems just like a normal teen. She chats with the photographer about her love for soccer and loudly complains about her evening’s American history homework. An 11th-grade student at a West Los Angeles private school, Biel’s already making college plans.

At 16, Biel is in her third season as the independent, basketball fanatic Mary on the hit WB family series “7th Heaven.” Last year, she garnered good notices for her role as a rebellious teen in “Ulee’s Gold.” In her newest feature, Disney’s “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” which opens Friday, Biel plays Jonathan Taylor Thomas’ bright, no-nonsense girlfriend, Allie.

Born in Ely, Minn., Biel and her family considered Boulder, Colo., home until earlier this year. Biel, who recently received a Hollywood Reporter Young Star Award nomination for her work on “7th Heaven,” has also appeared on the covers of Teen, Sassy, Jump and Moxie.

Question: You seem to be one of the few teen performers who hasn’t done a horror movie.

Answer: I haven’t. I love horror movies though. They are my favorite.

Q: So I’m sure you’d leap at the chance to do “Scream 3.”

A: I don’t want to do “Scream 3.” If I were to do one, I wouldn’t want it to be some mainstream movie. I wanted it to be, like, an independent film that is really, really good. [The new horror films] are scary, but they are not that scary. I love the old ones like “The Changeling,” “The Shining” and “Rosemary’s Baby.”

Q: Besides a contemporary horror film, are there certain projects you wouldn’t do?

A: I don’t think I would do a commercial movie. I am more right now kind of into different independent, smaller movies and just small parts. I’m not into having to carry a whole film right now. If that came around, sure. But [I would love] a small role--just a couple of weeks filming--that was really, really cool. It would be great.

Q: Well, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” is definitely commercial.

A: It was a chance to do a movie with three other kids that was shot in Vancouver, which was fun. I wasn’t carrying [the movie] on my shoulders if it didn’t turn out the way we thought it was going to turn out. When I finally did see it, it was better than I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be really cheesy, but it turned out really cute.

Q: Did you find your character of Allie more three-dimensional than most teen girlfriend roles?

A: Yes. Allie is just not a great girl going through high school. She has her own personality, her own attitude. She definitely doesn’t take anything from anybody.

Q: What was it like to work with Jonathan Taylor Thomas?

A: Jonathan is really, really professional. He knows what he’s doing. He’s just a blast. I’m glad the movie was with a couple of other kids. It is more fun to work with people your age.

Q: Allie is certainly different from your character as Peter Fonda’s hussy of a granddaughter in “Ulee’s Gold.”

A: [“Ulee’s Gold”] was awesome. Peter Fonda is really fun and he’s really cool.

Q: Why do you think “7th Heaven” has done so well?

A: I think it’s because it’s different. It’s one of the few shows that really gives a lot of attention to morals and family values. We’re not sexy and not just like “Touched by an Angel.” Our show is a lot of kids and grown-ups, so it covers the whole span of ages. “Touched by an Angel,” my mom might love it, but I might say it’s OK, because there is no one my age to identify with.

Q: Do you identify with your character of Mary?

A: I used to think that Mary and I were the same person. I just got to know her so well. But I have been noticing that we are really different. I think I am changing a lot more than she is. I find her very at one level.

Q: How did you make the leap from Boulder to Hollywood?

A: I was in a lot of musical theater in Boulder. I was 11 and with this [talent] agency. They said come to do this thing--the International Modeling and Talent Assn. You go to Los Angeles for a week, and you do these monologues and dances and songs for these judges, and people from the industry come down and watch. I got an agent and a manager [from it] and they said, “Why not come out for pilot season?” So we came out and stayed for three months.

I didn’t really get anything. I came back out again for the next pilot season. I got a few things and came back out again for a third year, having been taking acting classes all through this and getting better and better. That’s when I auditioned for “7th Heaven.”

Q: Do you miss Boulder?

A: My mom really misses Boulder and I miss Boulder. I miss the mountains, and I miss the atmosphere and the seasons. I really like the seasons. I hate the weather out here. I just don’t really like California at all right now. But more than that, I miss my best friend and the stuff I did in Boulder and my school.

Q: Do you ever get a chance to go back?

A: I try to go back. But I’m so busy. I went back to homecoming and that was really fun. I could go back for the weekends, but I can’t right now because I have soccer, and my best friend has softball season and soccer season.