Jessica Biel Wishes She Were as Witty as Her Character in "Easy Virtue"

In her new movie, Easy Virtue, Jessica Biel plays Larita Whittaker, an unabashed American race car driver, who marries into an elite British family. Whittaker is often scathing with her remarks, which is a quality Biel wishes she possessed, as the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

"I wish I was like that. I'm just a little bit too nice. It's really boring," Biel said.

Biel did her homework for the role by studying the performances of the actresses like Katharine Hepburn, as the movie is set in the 1920s and is based on a play by British playwright Noel Coward.

She wanted to understand "just how they deliver their sarcastic, amazing put-downs with a smile," Biel said.

Biel stars alongside Colin Firth and Kristin Scott Thomas in the period drama, whose drama school background intimidated her. In contrast to their thespian roots, Biel's first appearance in show business was in the high school TV series, 7th Heaven.

Easy Virtue gets a limited release in New York and Los Angeles this Friday, and is directed by Australian director Stephen Elliott.