Jessica Alba has hit out at the film industry for pigeonholing Hispanic actresses. The Fantastic Four star told OK! magazine that Jennifer Lopez was her idol but movie bosses always want to cast her as the "maid".

She said: "Jennifer Lopez is a huge star, but in Hollywood they still always want her to play the maid. I love her because she opened doors for ethnic girls like me. I want to break down more barriers."

Jessica, whose father is Mexican American, said she had "a hell of a time" at school because she was bullied for being mixed race. "I'd get beaten up and picked on all the time", she said.

"It was about being different. Apart from being mixed race, my parents didn't have money so I never had the cute clothes or the cool backpack." The stunning actress, 29, admits that she tends to be "a little obsessive and compulsive about things," adding: "I think a lot of actors suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder. I think it is part of being creative."