Jessica Biel says the stunt-driving skills she learned for Matchbox The Movie have impressed sons Silas, 11, and Phineas, 6. She discussed their reaction in an interview with E! News, published Oct. 5, alongside costars Sam Richardson, Arturo Castro and Teyonah Parris.
“I’m not like ripping donuts at drop off,” Biel joked. She said she might eventually show off what she learned as a party trick.
The 44-year-old attended the film’s New York premiere that evening at AMC Lincoln Square. Her Dolce & Gabbana outfit combined a plunging black double-breasted blazer with a sheer, floor-length skirt.
Justin Timberlake attended without walking the carpet, Just Jared reported. He arrived in a teal-green blazer.
Two Stunt Drivers Helped Biel Learn to Spin Cars
Biel credited stunt drivers Amanda Bradley and Viki Bauer with building her confidence behind the wheel in a May 2025 interview with InStyle. She described her character as a car enthusiast from a small American town and talked about driving Mustangs for the film.
At San Diego Comic-Con this summer, she explained that her training included 180-degree and 360-degree turns ending at designated marks, along with skidding and fishtailing. She said she had not done comparable stunt driving on a previous job, according to Autoweek‘s account of her remarks.
In a July interview with Extra, Biel said her everyday vehicle was a Cadillac Escalade. She called it a “mommy car,” used for school and baseball trips, and said she could imagine eventually driving a faster truck or muscle car. For the time being, she said she loved the SUV she had.
The opportunity to combine action with comedy helped draw her to the project, Biel told Entertainment Weekly in a separate Comic-Con interview in July. “I also played with Matchbox and it’s nostalgic for me, too,” she said. She was interested in returning to physical action while working with an ensemble that could handle the humor.
Phineas Identified His Mother as ‘John Cena’s Friend’
On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on May 20, 2025, Biel said Timberlake’s music helped his standing with their children. Her own assessment was less flattering: “I am so lame to them,” she said, according to PEOPLE.
Fallon produced a Mother’s Day worksheet completed by Phineas, then 4. Asked to finish the sentence “my mom is,” he had written “John Cena’s friend.” Biel said both boys adored her costar and that knowing him had already earned her some credit at home.
The boys joined her in Europe during production because the shoot overlapped with Timberlake’s Forget Tomorrow World Tour, she told InStyle. Traveling teachers, a nanny and relatives helped while she worked.
The Cast Cheered Cena Through a Bridge-and-Helicopter Sequence
Parris recalled the group gathering beside a chain bridge to watch Cena tackle a stunt despite his fear of heights. They were not required in the shot; they stayed to encourage him, she told E! News. The sequence involved him running up the bridge, jumping onto a helicopter and flying beneath the bridge.
His wife, Shay Shariatzadeh, was also there to support him. Parris described the cast’s excitement after he finished and remembered the experience as friends watching one another push through something difficult.
Cena’s vehicle work included a wheelie in a Volkswagen van and a jump in a six-wheeled Land Rover, according to Autoweek. He described using a roll cage and six-point harness.
The Film Sends Childhood Friends on an International Chase
Directed by Sam Hargrave, Matchbox The Movie casts Cena as Sean, an undercover CIA agent whose return to his hometown upends the lives of his old friends. The group is pulled into an international pursuit with the fate of the world at stake, according to Apple‘s synopsis. The action comedy takes its inspiration from Mattel’s toy vehicles.
Biel plays Aimee, whom she described to Extra as a grounding presence in the group. The character helps keep the friends together and challenges Sean’s tendency to handle everything himself. Biel said she connected with Aimee’s belief in accepting help from the people around her.
Before New York, Biel joined the promotional tour in Mexico. She attended an Oct. 1 fan event at Toreo Parque Central in Naucalpan with her castmates, as photographs cataloged by Picture Alliance document.
Matchbox The Movie begins streaming globally on Apple TV on Oct. 9.