JESSICA BIEL - BIEL BANNED FROM THE GYM

BIEL BANNED FROM THE GYM

Health nut JESSICA BIEL was banned from the gym while filming period movie THE ILLUSIONIST in the Czech Republic because director NEIL BURGER didn't want her to appear toned and beefy. The sexy actress developed a love of working out while bulking up to play a vampire hunter in BLADE: TRINITY and was still all muscle when she auditioned to play a turn-of-the-century beauty in EDWARD NORTON's new film. She says, "Neil cut my gym privileges. It had taken me a year to shave off the muscle mass I developed doing Blade and STEALTH back to back. "It doesn't take much for me to get all puffed up again." But now Biel is back at the gym, she faces a new problem - what to wear for her work-outs. The actress admits that being named Esquire magazine's Sexiest Woman Alive earlier this year (06) has left her self-conscious about what she's wearing at all times. She says, "It's a bit of an intimidating honour... I mean how do I work out now; what do I wear? I'm like, 'Can I just throw on the Spandex and the sneakers?' It's a little embarrassing."