Silas Timberlake’s Matchbox role was deliberately kept tiny. Jessica Biel says her 11-year-old son could make his acting debut in the Apple TV movie, but she would not let him take a substantial part simply because his parents happen to be famous.
During an Oct. 22 appearance on Josh Smith’s Great Chat Show, Biel explained that she wanted Silas to understand that other young actors put serious time into earning roles.
“There are kids who work really hard, and they go to acting class and they’re in theater class and they’re doing all the work,” she recalled telling him. “You can’t just take a part from that person just because you’re my son. That’s not cool.”
The 7th Heaven alum said the cameo was acceptable because it was so small. Silas appears near the end of the film, when Biel’s character, Aimee, tells the silent tween to get out of a truck.
“This is a special opportunity because it’s really teeny tiny,” Biel said. “If you had a big monologue, I wouldn’t let him do it. You would have to earn that part because we’re not starting that.”
Biel and her husband, Justin Timberlake, also share six-year-old son Phineas. She said neither child should expect acting jobs to arrive automatically with the family name attached.
“We’re not starting like, ‘Oh, you just get handed a bunch of opportunities because you’re part of this family,’” she added. A radical concept for Hollywood, but apparently the paperwork has been approved.
Silas also received an early lesson in how much acting can involve sitting around. Biel said he spent his first day on set waiting without filming anything, which did not impress him.
“He was so upset about it,” she said. “He was like, ‘I just don’t understand. I’ve been here all day.’ He got really mad about it. I was like, ‘This is what this is.’”
Biel warned him that productions can call actors in and leave them waiting for 12 hours. His attitude improved once she reminded him that he was being paid.
Despite the slow start, Silas enjoyed visiting the production and meeting Biel’s co-star John Cena. Biel previously said her children become overwhelmed when they visit a set featuring one of their heroes, particularly a production on the scale of Matchbox.
