Name: Jessica Chastain
Overview
Date of Birth: 24 Ma
rch 1977, Sacramento, California, USA
rch 1977, Sacramento, California, USA
Birth Name: Jessica Michelle Chastain
Height: 5' 4" (1.63 m)
Trade Mark: Red hear
Bio Data: Jessica
Michelle Chastain was born in Sacramento, California, and was raised in a
middle-class household in a northern California suburb. Her mother, Jerri
Chastain, is a vegan chef whose family is originally from Kansas, and her
stepfather is a fireman. She discovered dance at the age of nine and was in a
dance troupe by age thirteen. She began performing in Shakespearean productions
all over the Bay area.
An actor in a production of "Romeo & Juliet" encouraged her to audition for Juilliard as a drama major. She became a member of "Crew 32" with the help of a scholarship from one of the school's famous alumni, Robin Williams.
In her last year at Juilliard, she was offered a holding deal with TV writer/producer John Wells and she eventually worked in three of his TV shows. Jessica continues to do theatre, having played in "The Cherry Orchard", "Rodney's Wife", "Salome" and "Othello". She spends her time between New York and Los Angeles, working in theater, film and TV.
In 2011, she had a prolific year in film. She was nominated for and won a number of awards, including a 2012 Oscar nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for The Help (2011).
An actor in a production of "Romeo & Juliet" encouraged her to audition for Juilliard as a drama major. She became a member of "Crew 32" with the help of a scholarship from one of the school's famous alumni, Robin Williams.
In her last year at Juilliard, she was offered a holding deal with TV writer/producer John Wells and she eventually worked in three of his TV shows. Jessica continues to do theatre, having played in "The Cherry Orchard", "Rodney's Wife", "Salome" and "Othello". She spends her time between New York and Los Angeles, working in theater, film and TV.
In 2011, she had a prolific year in film. She was nominated for and won a number of awards, including a 2012 Oscar nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for The Help (2011).
Trivia: Attended
the drama division of The Juilliard School in New York City and was in the
graduating class of her best friend, Jess Weixler.
One of five children of a fireman
stepfather and a vegan-chef mother with a food truck. Jessica was the first
member of her family to attend college.
Before her film career, she toured
in a stage production of "Othello" with Philip Seymour Hoffman.
In order to gain weight for the role
of Celia Foote in The
Help (2011), she ate soy ice cream
melted in the microwave.
Was personally handpicked by Al
Pacino to play opposite him as the title
character of the play 'Salome'. Pacino later recommended her to Terrence
Malick, who gave her an audition for The
Tree of Life (2011).
Her idols are Isabelle
Huppert, Tilda
Swinton and Julianne
Moore.
Graduated from El Camino Fundamental
High School in Sacramento, California in 1995. One of her classmates was Mandisa
Hundley.
Was named on the list of Time
Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world for 2012.
Owns a three-legged dog named
Chaplin.
Was named the Sexiest Smile by
Victoria Secret's "What Is Sexy" list in 2012.
Won the Next Future Icon award at
The Elle Style Awards in 2012.
Was awarded at the Elle Women in
Hollywood Awards with the Calvin Klein Collection's Emerging Star Spotlight
Award.
Was awarded the inaugural Gucci
Award for Women in Cinema for The
Tree of Life (2011).
Was ranked #86 on Ask Men's list of
Top 99 Women of 2012.
Was once roommates with Michelle
Williams They were both nominated for Oscars
in 2012 and have remained good friends.
Good friends with Michael
Urie. They were both members of the
Juilliard School's Drama Division's Group 32.
A devout yoga disciple.
Learned German and Krav Maga for The
Debt (2010).
Her grandmother took her to see
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat when she was just 7 years old,
sparking the early acting bug in her. Her grandmother, Marilyn, was introduced
to the world when she accompanied Jessica to the 2012 Academy Awards.
(June 8, 2012) Named the ambassador
for Manifesto, the Yves Saint Laurent fragrance.
Was originally cast in Iron
Man 3 (2013) as Maya Hansen but dropped
out due to scheduling conflicts.
Is a vegan and was named PETA's 2012
sexiest vegetarian (June 28, 2012).
One of 176 people invited to join
AMPAS in 2012.
The
Sopranos (1999) is her favorite television
show.
The
English Patient (1996) is her favorite film.
Ralph
Fiennes is her favorite actor.
Plays the ukulele.
Was originally cast in Diana (2013) as Princess Diana but dropped out due to scheduling
conflicts.
Was originally cast in Oblivion (2013) as Julia but dropped out due to scheduling
conflicts.
Debuted as #82 on the Most Beautiful
Famous Faces by The Annual Independent Critics List of the 100 Most Beautiful
Famous Faces From Around the World.
Topped Vanity Fair's International
Best-Dressed List for women (2012).
Had a supporting role in To
the Wonder (2012), but her performance wound
up being removed from the final cut.
Completed work on The
Color of Time (2012) in one day.
For her role in The
Help (2011), she modeled her character
and her high-pitched voice after the mother of author Kathryn
Stockett and visited Sugar Ditch, Tennessee,
in preparation for the role of Celia Foote.
Named one of the Top 25 Style Icons
of The Season by the UK's Stylist Magazine. (2012).
Runner-up for Esquire magazine's
Sexiest Woman Alive. (2012).
Was in consideration for the role of
Annabel Richter in A
Most Wanted Man (2014), but Rachel
McAdams was cast instead.
Purchased a Greenwich Village co-op
apt. for $1.2 million to live in while on Broadway during the run of "The
Heiress". (2012).
Was ranked #76 on Ask Men's list of
Top 99 Women of 2013.
Was ranked #5 on the Forbes list of
Best Dressed Women Of 2012.
Holds the distinction of twice
appearing in the top two films at the American box office in one weekend. This
occurred on the weekend of 18-21 January 2013, when Zero
Dark Thirty (2012) dropped to the number two
position as her other film, Mama (2013), ascended to the top spot. This made Chastain the
first woman in nearly 50 years to have the leading role in the top two films at
the box office. This also occurred on the weekend of 2-4 September 2011, when The
Help (2011) was the number one film in
America, and another film starring Chastain, The
Debt (2010), took the number two
position, though her roles in these two films were supporting ones.
Based her performance of Annabel in Mama (2013) on Crystal Castles singer Alice
Glass.
(February 5, 2013) Her estranged
father, Michael Monasterio, passed away at age 55 due to complications from
bronchitis.
Had a younger sister, Juliet (b.
1979), who committed suicide in 2003.
Is in a relationship with Gian Luca
Passi de Preposulo since February 2013.
Was named the Sexiest Actress by
Victoria Secret's "What Is Sexy" list in 2013.
Was ranked #72 in Maxim Magazine's
Hot 100 of 2013 list.
Was awarded the Nova Award at the
2013 Maui Film Festival for the "range of characters she has brought to
life in her chameleon-like silver screen performances".
Was named one of the "The Top
10 Style Stars of the Year" by People magazine in 2013.
Has starred alongside Jason
Clarke in 3 movies: Texas
Killing Fields (2011), Lawless (2012) and Zero
Dark Thirty (2012).
Kathryn
Bigelow decided to offer the lead role of
Maya to her after seeing an early cut of Coriolanus (2011). Her agents originally declined the role of Maya for
her in Zero
Dark Thirty (2012). Producer Megan
Ellison, who had worked with Chastain on Lawless (2012), gave Kathryn
Bigelow Chastain's phone number so she
could personally offer her the role. Chastain accepted.
Has permanently saved a voice mail
from director Kathryn
Bigelow in which she learned she had been
chosen to play the role of Maya in Zero
Dark Thirty (2012). The message came on
November 21, 2011 at 1:04 p.m.
"The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda
and the Road to 9/11" by Lawrence
Wright and "Osama Bin Laden" by Michael
Scheuer are two of the many books she
researched in preparation for her role as CIA operative Maya in Zero
Dark Thirty (2012).
She first met Ned
Benson at a festival screening of Four
Lean Hounds (2003). She asked if she could work
with him, later leading to her starring in his short The
Westerner (2010) and the Eleanor Rigby films.
Ned
Benson wrote parts of script on the set of
The
Tree of Life (2011) where he would go to visit
Chastain hoping to be inspired by Terrence
Malick's filmmaking process.
Was ranked at #23 on Empire's The
100 Sexiest Movie Stars list. (2013).
She was noticed at Juilliard by
actress Marthe
Keller, who recommended her to Al
Pacino. He then cast her in the lead role
of Salome in his play 'Salome' and his long-awaited epic movie of the same
name.
Appeared on the Entertainment Weekly
list "New Hollywood: Entertainers on the Rise" (2013).
Appeared on the Elle Annual
Hollywood Power list. (2013).
Interviewed Marion
Cotillard for Elle's Women In Hollywood
issue. (2013).
Debuted on Vulture's 100 Most
Valuable Stars of 2013 list at #75 for 2013.
Was voted "Sexiest Woman In The
World" by the Hungarian magazine Periodika. (2013).
She's a fan of Breaking
Bad (2008).
She stated her interest in appearing
in a movie directed by Michael
Haneke.
Jessica is of one quarter Spanish,
as well as of one eighth Greek, descent, with the remainder of her ancestry
including English, German, French, Dutch, Northern Irish (Scots-Irish), and
Scottish. Two of Jessica's paternal great-grandparents, Antonio Astoreca
Monasterio and Ramona Egurrola Basañez, were Spanish immigrants. One of her
paternal great-grandfathers, Ernest John Thomas (originally "Anastaciou"),
was Greek.
Was ranked #32 on Ask Men's list of
Top 99 Women of 2014.
Had a 4 year relationship with
director Ned
Benson.
Some of her favorite classic
actresses are Clara
Bow, Greta
Garbo and Greer
Garson.
As of 2015, has appeared in three
films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: The
Tree of Life (2011), The
Help (2011) and Zero
Dark Thirty (2012).
"Chastain" is her mother's
maiden name.
Refuses to discuss her true age with
the public. She considers acknowledging her true age as limiting her choices
and offers of acting roles.
Considers her stepfather, Michael
Hastey, as her real father, since she was estranged from her biological father,
Michael Monasterio, all her life.
Father, Michael Monasterio, was a
rock musician. Stepfather, Michael Hastey, is a firefighter. Mother, Jerri, is
a home-maker.
Told indiewire in December 2014 that
she considers herself a feminist.
I was a difficult child because I
wanted to be the mom.
I don't look modern. I'm not the
girl that would walk into the room and everyone goes, "Oh!"
[on being directed by Terrence
Malick in The
Tree of Life (2011)] I would have pages of what
we were going to convey, but I could say the words in any order I wanted, and
sometimes we would say the same thing in many different ways... I think he will
always be the greatest teacher I know. I'm trying, in the Terrence Malick kind
of way of not planning and just allowing life to happen, trying to find these
moments that mirror life and [are] not preconceived in any way. So that has
changed me. I try to keep that freshness in things we've done.
[on rehearsals] They'll say,
"Save it, save it". I tell them: "Don't worry. I have a
bottomless well of tears."
Sometimes I'll have a meeting with
someone and they'll say, "Oh, Sean
Penn was just here and was saying the
nicest things about you". You know, when you're applying for a job? These
are like my recommendations. It's nice.
I get embarrassed really easily. I
get embarrassed even when people sing me "Happy Birthday."
[on preparing for her role in The
Tree of Life (2011)] Emotionally and
spiritually, I had to figure out what it meant to play the embodiment of grace.
And how do I capture that? Okay, so I start studying paintings of the Madonna
at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I start listening to music that inspires
feelings of love inside me, I start reading books about cultivating joy and
cultivating gratitude. I start meditating.
I don't normally get into this, but
I'm a vegan. And I try not to, well, I don't want to torture anything. I guess
it's about trying to live a life where I'm not contributing to the cruelty in
the world... While I am on this planet, I want everyone I meet to know that I
am grateful they are here.
When I first moved to LA, it was
very difficult. All the casting directors didn't know what to do with me, with
the way I looked. I'm not blonde with tanned skin and tall and skinny. I looked
very different - and they said I looked like I was from another time.
Right after The
Tree of Life (2011) came out, I started hearing
about strategies for my career. And I made a decision that I wasn't going to do
anything based on a strategy. If I don't continue to challenge myself and risk
failure, I have no business being an actor. I'm not an actor to be a
personality. I want to see every part I take like a master class. And you know
what? I'm going to fail sometimes. And that's OK. Because when you fail, you
learn more.
I don't talk about my dating life.
But I will say this: in this business it's very tough to maintain a
relationship because we're like gypsies - always on the move. And the more you
share your relationship with the world the less special it becomes. So I always
try to keep my dating life quiet.
It took me four hours to read the
script for The
Tree of Life (2011) because it's so dense and
beautiful, and I feel it should be published, and I hope it is someday because
it's really gorgeous. I knew from the script that it was going to be a really
special film, and it was going to be unlike anything probably I'll ever make.
It's like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that changes the structure of
filmmaking. I didn't know how he was gonna do it, but I knew, because it was Terrence
Malick, he was gonna do it and he did.
People were confused by me, and at
first I was auditioning a lot for the crazy characters or the victim, someone
who'd been attacked. Which is great, because usually those are the best acting
roles.
There is this immediate connection,
this intimacy when you're acting because there's no room to be polite or shy.
Also, as an actor I get to connect with women I've never met before.
I always say I am a realist, and my
mom says, "No, you just have anxiety."
I'm inspired by people who are so
sensitive and vulnerable that they try to cover it up.
I'm very sensitive in real life. I
cannot not cry if someone around me is crying. I will start to cry if someone
is crying, even if it's not appropriate. I have that thing in me, a weakness or
sensitivity.
[Addressing her fans about her first
Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for The
Help (2011)] Oh my goodness! I am in
absolute shock. I didn't expect to receive an Oscar nomination! I really
didn't! I don't understand this great year. I'm in Paris and was in a fashion
show when the nominations were announced. My life has become a dream. Thank you
all, for your love and faith in me. I've more blessings than I can count. Today
is a beautiful day that I will remember for the rest of my life.
My grandmother has been the biggest
influence in my life when it comes to acting. My father is a fireman and mother
is a vegan chef, and the only real artistic connection I had while growing up
was my grandmother. She always kind of wanted to be an artist and an actress,
but as a young woman in the '50s, she wasn't really given the opportunity. She was
told to marry young and have children young, and be a mom. But when I was
young, she'd do things like, for Christmas, she'd buy me a ballet tutu and
ballet lessons. My grandmother took me to my first play. And she moved me to
Juilliard. When I got in, she flew with me to move into the dorm. She's been an
incredible influence in my life.
I love fashion. As a young girl I
would always save my money to buy fashion magazines and imagine myself doing
photo shoots or walking up the red carpet. All those things came true in my
life although I like a more retro look than a lot of the latest designer things
I get to wear. But fashion is something I love to explore and I whenever I get
to go to the big fashion shows in Paris I feel so much anxiety because I'm so fascinated
by the art and creativity that goes into creating beautiful clothes.
I'm not the girl at the club on the
table. I'm going to be the one in the corner, quiet and so I don't call
attention to myself.
I was the girl who cut school to go
to the park, and the other kids would be smoking and drinking and I'd be
reading Shakespeare.
I walk the dogs, I play the ukulele,
I cook. I'm not a girl who goes to big parties--I'm shy.
I was always a little awkward, a
redhead, and very freckly. Kids like to make fun of people who are different. I
had short red hair and wore workout boots, so I got teased really badly for
having red hair and being different.
[on dealing with her quick fame]
I'll be the first unknown that everyone's going to be sick of. People will say,
"We have no idea what her name is, but she is everywhere!"
You know, it's recently come into
focus for me why I want to be an actor: It's because of the connection I feel
to people.
When something happens, I always
check myself and know it's going to go away. So be prepared for it. This is a
tough business for actors who are sensitive. If you try to hold on to things,
you'll go crazy.
[on being named the ambassadress of
the Yves Saint Laurent fragrance, Manifesto] Yves Saint Laurent is a brand that
inspires me deeply. Since its creation, the brand has conveyed strong values
that I cherish, such as an unwavering commitment, absolute love and feminine
audacity. This new fragrance is an emblem of it all. I am [excited] to be part
of this beautiful adventure.
[on doing her first animated movie, Madagascar
3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)]
The first day I thought, "No cameras, that's fine, I'll wear sweats, no
make-up", and I showed up and I was doing the voice, and I looked up and
saw all the cameras and I realized, "Oh my gosh, they're videotaping
this." And then of course the next day I turned up, I was in, like, full
hair and make-up.
I think a film should be judged on
the film and not on the sex of the person who directed the film.
[on what she used her paycheck on
from Madagascar
3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)]
There was a couch I wanted to buy and I had no time in my schedule to do
another film. I was doing so much press last year, thinking, 'How am I going to
pay my rent?' Also, I had to buy a new couch. My agent said, 'I don't know if
you're interested, but they're having auditions for an animated film.' I've
always wanted to do an animated film. So I went in and auditioned and then I
got the call that I got the part. And I got the couch!
I'm very private. We've never seen a
picture of me with a beau. For me, it's about the work. I have no personal
life!
[about her chances of winning an
Oscar for The
Help (2011)] I was convinced that I
wouldn't, but I didn't care. Just look at what last year was, everything that
happened. If I'd also won an Oscar, it would have made me crazy! It would have
got way too much, way too soon. Of course, you know, I would love to be back at
some point in my future but it wasn't something like, "I need this."
It was more like, "This is very intense here and I'm just going to kind of
hang back and celebrate."
I always try to play characters who
are very different from what I am. If the character was a good swimmer or a
diver, I'd be interested because in my real life, I am totally scared of water.
I would immediately feel compelled to do it because I'm always trying to tackle
any fear I have. I don't want my life to be controlled by fear, whether it's
the fear of being rejected, fear of being loved; I want to run my life with
open arms. Also, I never want to play the same character twice. To me, that's
soul crushing.
I always want to keep doing
different things, I don't want to just concentrate on film. The most important
thing for me is being an actor. Film, theatre, television- that's the career I
want. Actresses have so many ups and downs, and we're not always given
wonderful choices. So I always want to find great characters. If that
character's on television or stage, I'm going to go there.
I've done 11 films, mostly films
with very strong men - Al
Pacino, Tom
Hardy, Brad
Pitt, Ralph
Fiennes - but The
Help (2011) is the film where I was
getting questions "Oh, how was that set?" And I would think,
"Well it was probably the friendliest set I've ever been on, but are you
asking because it was all women and assume we would be fighting?" That
made me realize there needs to be a lot more films with women casts, if there
is that misconception out there...
[on losing out on an Oscar to costar
Octavia
Spencer] Octavia Spencer was a great
teacher for me. I went to Juilliard and studied Shakespeare and Chekov and
Ibsen and all the heavies, so to be able to do comedy was such a dream. That
woman's timing is so great. As soon as I met her I knew we had great chemistry
together - she was a fantastic teacher.
Sorry to say that Iron
Man 3 (2013) isn't going to work out. My
schedule is jam packed and I can't fit anything else in. The press announced my
possible attachment far too soon. I know many of you wanted me to be involved,
and I'm so sorry to disappoint you. Hopefully there'll be another Marvel film
in my future. Shane
Black and everyone on the Iron Man team
are really wonderful. I'm very excited to see the film when it comes out.
[on the Time Magazine piece that was
written about her for The 100 Most Influential People in the World issue by Gary
Oldman] I had no idea that Gary Oldman
even knew my name 3 months ago. I've been a huge fan of his work for years.
Many of you know the story of how I burst into tears when he came up to me on
the red carpet at Palm Springs. His performances have meant so much to me.
They've been so inspiring. Reading what he wrote in the Time Magazine piece
leaves me speechless. I can never find the words to truly express how grateful
I am to be a working actress. The beautiful, kind comments that Gary wrote
drive me to want to be better. He is far too generous, but I will work very
hard to try and live up to what he wrote. I am forever moved and in awe of that
man.
I try not to fake anything.
I end up doing roles where I'm
afraid I'm going to embarrass myself, or fail. But then it gives you that extra
hit of adrenalin, and you have to step up your game.
I have a feeling that very soon I'm
going to fail very, very big. I'm going to try something and everybody's going
to be like, "What was she thinking?"
I don't want to be in my car all
day. I love getting up in the morning in Venice and walking my dogs down to the
café to get my tea, and then perhaps going to a bookstore and sitting and
reading, then walking to the beach.
Isabelle
Huppert is for me the greatest actress in
the world. She always plays very bold characters, very daring women. She always
challenges herself, working with directors from other countries, she's never
lazy.
When I was a young girl I felt on
the outside. I remember cutting all my hair very short at twelve years old, I
was wearing red cowboy boots, had my own style. Then a lot of children at
school tired to make me feel nervous and teased me a lot because I was
different. Jerry
Hall was such a great figure for me to
see, at that time, because she was redhead and very powerful. I hope that this
uniqueness is something I have in common with Yves Saint Laurent women. And I
hope these ads will show to young girls how to be different.
I have a rule not to date actors and
because of that I can hopefully make work be the focus of public interest
instead of my private life.
I got teased quite a lot when I was
younger but I've grown into my red hair now and see it as something that makes
me unique and special.
[on working with Hollywood 'tough
guys'] My favorite thing is, I work actually with a lot of men that you would
think at first impression would be kind of scary. Sam
Worthington, Michael
Shannon, Al
Pacino, Sean
Penn. What I love so much about these
men is that they are very strong, and they have this almost aggressive vibe,
but it's because they have this intense vulnerability, that they have to be
very strong to protect themselves. So it's actually, once you get to know them,
you realize they're all kittens. At the end of the day, they're like kittens.
I love being around great actors and
film-makers, and I try to hide the fact that I'm in awe of them. I try to
pretend with Al
Pacino or Helen
Mirren that, you know, we're just part of
the same team, we're all in this together, but really, secretly, the whole time
my heart is beating very fast.
[on her stylist Elizabeth Stewart]
I've worked with her for two years. My very first meeting with her, I really
had a connection because she sees fashion as more than just using a dress to
look pretty. I never wear something to bring myself attention. For me, when I'm
wearing a dress, it's about the dress and about the story that the designer was
creating. I also love the idea that she dresses people for who they are as
individuals. She doesn't dress people like herself, or like each other. She
also dresses Cate
Blanchett, Freida
Pinto, and Amanda
Seyfried, and we all have very different
styles. In my everyday style, it's more simple. I don't necessarily want to
draw a lot of attention to myself. Lots of black blazers and scarves.
[on her character of Maggie in Lawless (2012)] I love the relationship between Maggie and Forrest.
Maggie is a woman who is very used to being around men - she was a burlesque
dancer - and she's probably been hurt by a lot of men, physically and
emotionally. When she shows up at this little town, she's an oddity for the
brothers and especially Forrest. He's used to violence but not being around
women. So she becomes almost the aggressor in the relationship, in the way she
pursues him. I did see her as very strong. Nick
Cave [who wrote the screenplay]
suggested that I watch Once
Upon a Time in the West (1968) to
understand her better. There's a great line that Claudia Cardinale's character
says after she sleeps with the man who killed her husband: "It's nothing
that a hot bath won't wash away." And there's something of that attitude
in Maggie. She doesn't drown in her sorrows. She's always moving forward. When
she meets Forrest it's the first time she's not able to pick up her bag and
walk away. I read a lot about 1930s Chicago and watched films like Angels
with Dirty Faces (1938). I was lucky because I'd
just worked on Texas
Killing Fields (2011), which Michael
Mann produced. I knew he had just made Public
Enemies (2009) so I sent him an email
asking if he could recommend any books about the period. Within an hour I got a
call saying: "We'd like to schedule an appointment for you to sit down
with Michael Mann tomorrow," and when I showed up, he had binders of stuff
from Public Enemies for me. That was helpful.
I love researching. When I get a
role that's one of the very first things I do. I just want to fill myself up
with knowledge of what the character might have come from. Not just even
reading about the history of the time, which of course I do, but I also love
learning about the music of the time, listening to that; thinking of the food
of the time; what someone would have done for fun.
I have always known I wanted to be
an actress, but my New York experience made me realize that my desire had nothing
to do with becoming famous or making money, I was interested in exploring the
human soul, its complexity, I wanted to work to understand something about life
and myself. Being an actress means being in another person's shoes and
therefore understanding what the person whose role you play feels; but also
connecting with other human beings, as a mark of profound professional
intimacy, that often touches the soul.
[on if it was awkward being
nominated alongside co-star Octavia
Spencer for Best Supporting Actress at the
Academy Awards] It would have been awkward if I was set on winning but I
wasn't. A year ago it was "Jessica Chastain who?" and now it's
"Oscar-nominated Jessica Chastain". I can't help but smile saying
that.
I don't read reviews because if you
believe a good review, then you have to believe a bad review.
[on her scenes being cut from To
the Wonder (2012)] Just as I suspected, my
small role has not made it into the final version. But I really didn't imagine
it would. The three days I shot were with Ben
Affleck and he was doing really great
stuff. I'm looking forward to see how it all brilliantly comes together.
[on doing the scary scenes for Mama (2013)] I've done an experiment, and it's working for me. I
heard Johnny
Depp has an earwig [headphones], and
sometimes he listens to music during a scene. So I asked the director if I
could wear one for all of my scary scenes and have them play this really
terrifying music in my ear. That's how it's gonna be in the scene anyway,
right?
[on fame] It's a little daunting,
because I hope that people don't get sick of me. I'm in denial. I don't like
the idea that fame could mean that people can no longer relate to me. So I'm
going to try to figure out how to live my life so that isn't a problem.
[on why she doesn't reveal her age]
I never say. Clearly, I'm not 15. But I like mystery.
There's nothing about me that makes
you think, "movie star". I'm just this normal girl.
My grandmother took me to see David
Cassidy in Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat, and I thought, "I want to be up there." We sat
down and the play started and there was a girl of my age who opened this huge
book and started narrating and I thought, "This is a job. She gets to wear
cool costumes and this is what I am going to do." Ever since then, I have
always known I was going to be an actor."
Terrence
Malick is probably one of the greatest
teachers I'll ever know. A great teacher for filmmaking, for acting, but also
and mostly, a great teacher of what it is to be a great human being. I value
him so much.
Whenever I approach a role, I'm the
girl who will sit in my house for a month and just watch as much as I can on
the time period.
If you get $100 or $1,000, you are
still going to spend it. You'll just end up spending the $1,000 on a nicer
house or whatever and then you'll have to keep the money at that level to
sustain your lifestyle. But if you keep it at the $100 lifestyle, then you're
fine. You can choose the job for the creativity and the challenges of the
characters rather than the money.
I'm not going out to night clubs and
dancing with other actors, I'm not having lunch at The Ivy.
I never get recognized. I think
because, in my most successful film [The
Help (2011)], I look very different.
But, you know, if someone does happen to recognize me, they're usually sweet,
and it's never a negative experience. My favorite thing is if I'm going out to
buy something embarrassing, I always think, "Oh God, I hope no one sees me
buy this!" However, for the most part, it's been fine.
It wasn't like I wanted to be an
actor. It was more like I am that. This is my job. It was so clear cut, I never
had to make a choice.
It's tough, acting. You have to walk
two lines of a tightrope. There's the all-consuming fear of failure: I'm about
to fall flat on my face. There's that and there's also confidence - you have to
be confident in order to try things - and they fight each other all the time.
[on her Broadway role as Catherine
Sloper in The Heiress] I always look for a great arc. Men get great arcs all
the time, especially in movies, but it's very rare for a woman to get an arc.
Catherine absolutely has that. She finds her voice, which is a wonderful thing
to play.
Before coming to New York, I had
never had the possibility to come close to creativity of that kind. No one in
my family had ever had anything to do with that environment, therefore at my
audition at the Juilliard I risked a lot, especially on an emotional level.
When they accepted me I found myself in another world.
I always felt before I had to prove
myself. I would show up on a set and people would have heard about me but they
wouldn't have seen my work. It was like they were watching me out of the corner
of their eye saying: "Who is this girl?"
I like art, and fashion to me is
art, so I will continue wearing things that I think are beautiful pieces and
probably will get people talking.
I was having so much trouble with
energy and a friend of mine said, "You know, just go vegan for two
weeks," and I did and I felt so good, health wise, that I thought,
"Okay. I'm going to stick to this." That's how it started, but then
you start to read. Once I started doing that I thought, "I don't know that
I'll ever not be vegan." I just did it and that was the end.
The most important thing in my life,
and the thing I try to focus on, is to try not to live a life of cruelty. That
means trying to make sure I look people in the eye when I meet them. Sometimes
you jump in a taxi, or maybe you only have two minutes with someone, and you
never see them again. I try to always look them in the eye and have a real
experience of what it is to communicate with someone.
I've always made really strange
choices, maybe because no one told me otherwise.
[about her shaky reception when she
first went on auditions in LA] Many people didn't know what Juilliard was or
didn't care about my theatrical training. I'd hear things like, "We like
Jessica, but she's not pretty enough for that part." You realize,
"What does that mean?" I went from being the most unlucky actress to
the luckiest actress. Some of the films took forever to come out. My very first
film, Wilde
Salomé (2011), still hasn't come out yet! The
Tree of Life (2011) had a long editing process. The
Debt (2010) sat on the shelf for a year
when Miramax was sold. I went to every film festival - with two films in each
festival. I ended up having every movie in the movie theater.
They talk about a curse with awards.
Sometimes people win then bad things happen. I just want to act. And I don't
want anything bad to happen to me.
Women inspire me who juggle many
things, who continue to be creative and also have a personal life. I definitely
want a family, because how do you play normal people if you don't have a normal
life?
I love to disappear into roles and
play different characters. And I think I'm getting great films now because I'm
not conventionally beautiful.
[on her fighting scenes for The
Debt (2010)] I trained for months. I had
no idea how to throw a punch; I'd never been in a fight in my life. But
considering I'm a pacifist, I enjoyed it. Krav Maga is how to kill your
opponent in the least time possible. It's ruthless and made me feel bad ass.
I'd say to my friend, "Come at me!" I'd take her down and pin her and
she'd say, "OK, enough. I'm excited for you to finish this movie!"
I love my family, but they don't
understand what it is to be an actor, so an important relationship is with my
best friend, a fantastic actress: Jess
Weixler. We were roommates at Julliard and
now we live 10 blocks from each other. I make an effort because whenever I am
having a hard time, I always get a text from her. She is a life saver. Jess and
I have been friends for over 10 years. I would never do anything that would get
in the way of her getting a part. No-one is going to pit us against each other.
The first time I met Brad
Pitt, he was a normal guy on his
motorcycle, but he immediately spotted a man hiding with a camera. I felt this
sense of fear. I was so unaware people were watching. I see myself as having a
different career path. I could be in denial but I don't think I'll ever have to
deal with the media craziness that Brad and Angelina do, because Brad is such a
handsome movie star and Angelina
Jolie is one of the most beautiful women
in the world; it's the perfect storm for attention. I don't see that's where
I'm headed.
I'm not a secret anymore. I'm now
going to be forced down your throats. It gives me anxiety to be honest, because
so many nice things are being said; I'm going to drive myself crazy if I try to
keep up with that. I want to tell people, "I will disappoint you at some
point." Everyone is in a bad film. Everyone will give a bad performance. I
want to allow myself the freedom to take risks.
As a little girl, playing games, I
would absolutely believe I was a princess. If we were pretending there was a
monster in the closet, I would be terrified. When I realized there was a job
where you could play all day and get paid for it, I said, "That's my
job". I am OK doing off-Broadway for $400 a week, because it's about doing
what I love.
I was shooting Zero
Dark Thirty (2012) for a long time, most of us
are playing real people and my part is awesome. I want to work with people who
know what they're talking about and Kathryn
Bigelow is an amazing human being. I was
shocked by what I discovered while making the film. I love doing all that
homework and research. Then I can show up on set and be free. For Jolene (2008), I flew to South Carolina, rented a pickup truck and
hung out at Super Walmart so I could hear voices and get to know people who
live there. I love to go to a place and find a voice that I like. For The
Debt (2010), I spent months researching
Josef Mengele, a doctor who performed experiments on inmates at the Nazi
concentration camp Auschwitz. For Lawless (2012), I wore undergarments from the 1930s, with metal
zippers, to get a feel for the period. For The
Help (2011), I hung cotton balls dipped
in rubbing alcohol, in my costume during the party scene when my character
appears to be drunk. Every character I play I feel is like a woman I got to
meet and learn from getting to hang out with. I see them as their own people.
So I think I take something away from everything.
[on Zero
Dark Thirty (2012)] I knew the second I read
the script and I was learning things, I knew that it was going to be a
hot-button issue. Even when we were shooting, there was great care to be as
respectful to the story as possible. For me, that was the most important thing:
that we tell the right story for history's sake. I'm not allowed to discuss it,
which is so bad because I hate keeping secrets. Whenever someone tells me, "I
have a secret," I'm like, "Don't tell me," because I'm the worst
at keeping secrets. I'm so excited for people to see the film, because it
really reminds me of a film from the 70's. There is so much intelligence in the
script, and there's a light shone on something that people will be surprised
about.
I'm always going to do both theater
and film, always. I love theater and I love the ensemble feeling of it. I love
the community. I love being in New York. I love the idea of finishing a show
and then seeing people from other shows and then all leaving for a late night
dinner.
[on making her Broadway debut in The
Heiress, a play associated with such formidable women] I don't feel trepidation
because what it shows is what an exquisite role Catherine is. There's no way my
Catherine will be the same as Olivia
de Havilland or Cherry
Jones or Jane
Alexander. We're such different women with
different sensibilities. I don't feel the nervousness of it, because I could
never be the wonder that is them and I just have to find who Catherine is to
me. I find her so modern. It's shocking to me that this adaptation was written
in the 1940s. For her at the end of the play to stand alone and believe it's OK
not to be married - for 1940 to have a woman be independent in that way and
make decisions without the influence of a man - I find that shocking. Thirty
years from now, this story and this play will still be relevant.
[on her Broadway role as Catherine
Sloper in The Heiress] It's very relevant, a woman believing she is what the
men in her life tells her she is. And it goes from her father to her suitor to
finally at the end of the play, she's on her own. Whenever anyone finds out I'm
doing The Heiress, they all go, "I love Catherine." And I love [my
character] too. When we first meet her, she appears very confident, she tells a
funny story, she seems fine. And then when the father comes into the room we
see anxiety and social awkwardness set in. And I find it really interesting
[that all of that pressure], you see it come out in the way she interacts with
people.
It's not always easy to experiment
with fashion on the red carpet, because I'm representing myself. I really want
to go out there with a Mohawk, but I realize it's a little too much for most
people to digest. I had bright orange hair as a child, but it's got darker over
the years. I use a shampoo to enhance the color and Moroccan Oil to boost
shine. I'd change my hair for a role if I needed to, but I prefer using wigs.
As an actor, you approach the
characters from what the script tells you. You don't think about "Well,
what do I look like compared to what she looks like?"
I'm not going to be the girl with
the private yoga instructor at my house.
Every character I play I feel is
like a woman I got to meet and learn from getting to hang out with. I see them
as their own people. So I think I take something away from everything.
[when asked what she wants women and
men to admire in her] I would like women to admire my differences. don't look
like a top model, I'm different: if they would admire this in me, probably
they'd feel more comfortable with themselves as well, with their particular
traits which make them unique and beautiful. As for men, I would like them to
admire my passion. They love femininity, but if you find a partner who loves
you for your strength it's the best.
I know people ask why I never am
pictured with a man, but my work is being an artist, an actor. It does show,
indeed, women don't need a man to define. I define myself.
I want to play all kinds of women in
my career. I've done that in my film career, so I want to continue to do that
in theater as well.
When you're doing a play, it's
basically saying, "Here I am." It's a very vulnerable thing. On film,
it's vulnerable, but there's a time delay. With theater, what I love so much is
the shared experience between the actor and the audience. You're almost
breathing at the same time, like there's shared emotion-but also, with that
shared emotion, you feel when they're not with you, and that can be a difficult
experience.
[on adjusting to the costumes in The
Heiress] I'm a jeans girl, but a blue-jeans way of moving is very different
from wearing petticoats, so from day one, I was wearing the shoes, the skirt,
the corset. I never really left the rehearsal room. It took so long to put
everything on every day, it's like, "Well, I'll just bring my lunch and
eat it here."
[on overcoming stage fright] Every
night I whisper to myself, "You chose this, Jessica. You chose this. This
is what you wanted to do your whole life."
It [2009's Othello] was a very
draining experience. When I got back to L.A., I received an e-mail from a
director who wanted me to consider another play in New York. I replied,
"Thank you, but I will never do theatre again." I wanted to focus my
energy elsewhere. It's been my dream to be on Broadway since I was a little
girl, but at this point I was so busy, so it seemed crazy to even consider.
Then I read the play [The Heiress] and fell in love with the character, but I
still wouldn't have done another play had I not felt I was going to be in great
hands. Besides his brain, what I love about Moisés
Kaufman is that he makes me feel safe and
supported. I do my best work with a director who creates a space where I feel
the freedom to be both brave and vulnerable. I've been in far more plays than I
have in movies and TV shows. I want to keep working in all mediums, I just want
to play great characters and work with people I know I'll learn a lot from, but
theatre will always be my home.
I used to watch the Tonys every year
and I'd record it on my VHS, and then throughout the year I'd watch the dance
numbers over and over. It was the closest I could get to seeing a Broadway
show. I know. Such a nerd.
For me, fashion is incredibly
emotional. I go to shows in Paris and try not to cry. Fashion is the expression
of, "This is how I am feeling today."
[on meeting Meryl
Streep] I was in the lobby with some
friends of mine, and I look over, and I said, "Is that Meryl Streep? And
as I said it, she turned around and started walking toward me. That was the
moment everything got kind of foggy. She went, "Jessica" and she
grabbed my hands and she was saying beautiful things about the play and my
performance. Because I was so shocked by it, all I did was I held her hands and
went, "Thank you, thank you. It means so much to me that you came."
And I walked away.
If I am suddenly this 'festival
girl,' it's because of the directors I choose to work with. For me that is
everything.
I can model for photos, but at
events I'm just not a pose-y girl.
[on her character in Zero
Dark Thirty (2012)] You really see the drive
and the journey that this woman takes, and you see her unravel.
[on when she was asked if fame would
change her] I think I'm more nervous about people around me changing, like in
the way they relate to me
I like a more retro look than a lot
of the latest designer things I get to wear. But fashion is something I love to
explore and I whenever I get to go to the big fashion shows in Paris I feel so
much anxiety because I'm so fascinated by the art and creativity that goes into
creating beautiful clothes.
Fashion to me is not about
"this is the cool brand", or "this is the best silhouette on
me." I like fashion where it tells stories each time. I love to show
different sides of myself and that's why I love fashion. I love working with
designers. It's not about the prettiest dress; it's about being interesting.
"What does this dress say?" Fashion to me is like a piece of music or
a painting. I like it when it means something.
[on how costumes impact a
performance] They're extremely important. In everyday life, the way someone
dresses tells you something about who they are. When you're feeling bad, for
example, you dress in a particular way. When you're acting, it's really
important to try to use all that. The way my characters dress in The
Help (2011) or The
Tree of Life (2011) already tells you something
about who they are.
[on her Yves Saint Laurent campaign]
I was pretty nervous by the idea of becoming a brand ambassador, because I
really have to believe in something I do. But I have so much love and respect
for Mr. Yves Saint Laurent, even though I never met him. His way of seeing
women was so modern, unexpected and sensual. When I think for him, I think of Catherine
Deneuve wearing a tuxedo an the red carpet.
It's an honor to represent a brand like this.
As an actor I want to play different
kinds of women and I don't want to be associated with a certain look for each
part because I want to be allowed to age. The wonderful thing about [different
roles I've had] is that they look so different.
I'm very shy when it comes to guys.
I like to be wooed, but I've had to be more outwardly available, I guess.
I never wanted to be a movie star. I
wanted to be an actor. I don't really drink, and I've never been to a rave. I
used to cut school to read Shakespeare, not to make out in the park.
[on how success has not changed her
lifestyle] I used to have a lot of anxiety about how I was going to stay
afloat, because as soon as I graduated, I never asked my parents for money. I
always supported myself through acting and would make money last a long time. I
understand the value of money, and I'm not an impulsive buyer. I bought a new
laptop three years ago, and before I bought it, I spent a month thinking about
buying it. So my lifestyle hasn't changed, except my anxiety about paying the
rent is gone.
[on auditioning for The
Help (2011)] It (the auditioning
process) had been stretched out for so long, and I thought it was because I
wasn't the right look, you know? I didn't look like Celia Foote, so I remember
there was a moment when I was like, "I'm not going to go. They clearly
don't want me for this part. It's my day off. I shoot all night, so I can't fly
to L.A. and then fly back, I just can't do it." But I was talked into
going.
[on Zero
Dark Thirty (2012)] This film will make news.
We all think we know how it ended. We don't, this movie is about how it really
ended. It is shocking. When I first read the script, I was blown away by this
woman. The sacrifices she made and what she had to do. It's something I still
get very emotional about. What happens when you live for this one goal? And
then you achieve it. I can relate to those aspects of being in the CIA. For the
last three years, my life has been work and only work. I do miss my family. I
do feel cut off from my friends. Listen, I know being in the CIA is a lot more
important that being an actress, but I do feel some empathy with the
loneliness: you give away yourself.
I always find sex scenes
embarrassing. But at times they are necessary - I get that. It's a huge
compliment when someone says you're attractive, especially when I was such an
awkward kid - I was very tomboyish, with very short red hair, running around
with cowboy boots on. So when someone tells me I'm a sex symbol I'm like,
"what?". But I'll take what I can get. That'll teach all those boys
back in junior high. In fact, I hope my very first boyfriend, the guy I dated
for one month and who broke up with me at the Valentine's Day Dance - I hope
that boy reads this article.
When I leave a film, there's this
sadness that I'm not gonna know this person anymore.
I'm scared that I'll be on a talk
show and David
Letterman is going to whip out a ukulele and
make me play, so I'm going to put it out there: I'm not that good. I nearly got
into trouble at Claridge's the other night; I was jet-lagged so at 4 a.m. I
pulled out my ukulele and started strumming. Suddenly, there was a loud banging
on my door. I was too scared to open it, so I called reception to assure them
that I had stopped.
I love the feeling of giving myself
over to another strong point of view. It's the best kind of trust-the belief
that an artist will take care of me while creating something unique.
I love wigs, I love costumes, I love
anything that will get me into the character.
[on envisioning she was right for The
Tree of Life (2011)] I can't say why, exactly.
Back then, I hadn't been getting any auditions for films, so I was doing guest
spots on TV shows, and, for some reason, on those shows I got raped a lot. I
was always cast as the victim. When I heard about The Tree of Life, I felt like
I belonged in that world.
Zero
Dark Thirty (2012) will make news. We all think
we know how it ended. We don't. And this movie is about how it really ended. It
is shocking. When I first read the script, I was blown away by this woman. The
sacrifices she made and what she had to do. It's something I still get very
emotional about. What happens when you live for this one goal? And then you
achieve it.
Brits are usually so mean to your
redheads. Why is that? In America it's seen as a good thing. Look at Julia
Roberts - she's cool, right? I was working
in Thailand and I'd be walking down the street and people - British people -
would stop the car and scream, 'ginger!' at me.
[on working with Brad
Pitt in The
Tree of Life (2011) He didn't have a huge
entourage, nothing like that. He just showed up on his motorcycle on the very
first day and went, "Hi, I'm Brad." You just heard the rumbling of
his bike and he'd appear like James
Dean, or Marlon
Brando from The
Wild One (1953). He was kind, he was
generous, he'd never heard of me but he never made me feel less.
[on her character in Zero
Dark Thirty (2012)] I never met Maya, because
she's an undercover CIA agent - it would not have been a good thing to do. I
had the props person print out all of the photographs of the terrorists and I
hung them in my room at the hotel. So even when I'd come home from the set,
they were always around me. I had to approach [the role] like any other
character I've played. questions that I couldn't answer through the research, I
had to use my imagination, Kathryn
Bigelow and Mark
Boal created a character that went along
the lines that respected the real woman, she represents this generation of
woman, and that was really exciting. As an actor, you spend your whole life
trying to be emotional and keeping yourself emotionally open. So, to find
[Maya's] humanity within that arc was a great feat that would have been impossible
without Kathryn and Mark's leadership.
[on her Golden Globe nomination for
Best Actress Motion Picture: Drama for Zero
Dark Thirty (2012)] Zero Dark Thirty is a film
that I am extremely proud of and it's a tremendous honor to be recognized by
the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. I am so thankful for this nomination.
I am elated to see our fearless producer Megan
Ellison, our brilliant director Kathryn
Bigelow, our wonderful screenwriter Mark
Boal and this extraordinary film being
honored today. I'm so proud and honored to play this exceptional woman.
[her acceptance speech when she won
the Golden Globe for Zero
Dark Thirty (2012)] Thank you so much to the
Hollywood Foreign Press Association for this award. I've wanted to be an
actress since I was a little girl and I've worked for a really long time. I've
auditioned and struggled and fought and been on the sidelines for years. And to
be here now in this moment, it's a beautiful feeling to receive this
encouragement and support and thank you so much. I would not be here without my
amazing team: Paul, Jack, Hilda, Nicole, Steve, thank you. Thank you to our
amazing crew, our incredible cast. Jason
Clarke, thank you. To my dear friend, Megan
Ellison, Sony, the great great Amy
Pascal for protecting our film. Mark
Boal for writing a strong, capable,
independent woman that stands on her own and to Kathryn
Bigelow, my director. I can't help but
compare my character of Maya to you. Two powerful, fearless women that allow
their expert work to stand before them. You have said that filmmaking for you
is not about breaking gender roles, but when you make a film that allows your
character to disobey the conventions of Hollywood, you've done more for women
in cinema than you take credit for. And last, but definitely not least, I have
to thank my grandmother for teaching me to always believe in my dreams and this
is an absolute dream come true. Thank you so much.
I really made an effort to not put
myself in situations where my private life becomes more interesting than my
work.
I was ten years old. When I was this
age I was such an ugly duckling: bright orange hair, my freckles. I never
really got attention from boys and when you're a redhead all you get is old
ladies coming up to you and cooing, not much else. I felt invisible. I remember
being at Disneyland and we were waiting to see the parade, with the fireworks, Minnie
and Mickey and all that stuff. I remember one dancer, she spotted me in the
crowd and walked over. She told me how beautiful I was at a time when I felt
hidden she gave me a spark. Disneyland to a kid back then was like the greatest
place on earth, with thousands of people there, but I got picked. That girl
pointed at me and said, 'There's something about you.'
[on Zero
Dark Thirty (2012)] I think a lot of people had
their own idea of what the film was, but they had never seen it. It was a bit
frustrating for a year, because I had to keep my mouth shut about what I was
playing and what this film was, to not be able to defend it and say: 'This is
not a propaganda film. It doesn't have a political agenda.' Any subtext that I
have, any part of the character's journey, I have to show through my technical
dialogue and my transformation in the 10 years, what happens to my face, my
hair, how I interact with people. It has to be a more subtle approach. It has
to be the kind of acting where you don't see the strings. There was a 10 minute
break while I cried. I had to go hide behind a building. I just lost it and
started crying. I know I'm playing this woman who's supposed to be, it's her
job, to be unemotional, but I still feel things. And I wasn't going to be able
to do the scene again without letting out, without having a good cry.
I want to do everything! I want to
do crazy villains in comic book movies with accents and scars! I want to do it
all. I think I have to calm down and be like: You don't have to do it all,
right now. Hopefully, you'll be around for a few years. I never think about
what's next, I always just think: What haven't I done yet?
I have a rule. No actors. I have
dated an actor before, at Juilliard, but since then, I've only been on a couple
of dates with one and I was so freaked out someone was going to take a picture
of us, because they were famous. I realized I wanted just to be able to hang
out with someone and I didn't want to talk about the business, first of all. I
love movies. But I love talking about them like when I was 15 years old. I'm a
film fan, but I don't want to talk about auditions or what movie I'm gonna do.
I find that so boring. You have to welcome that. Off the record, I could name
specifics for you. There are some actors, who are very, very famous, who know
what they're doing. They court it. Like Elizabeth
Taylor. Richard
Burton. It's something that you woo.
[on actresses needing meatier roles]
For a long time I was hearing that studios didn't want to make films with
female leads because they didn't think they would make any money. Maybe this is
showing a new trend, audiences are interested in everyone's story, not just the
story of the few. It's very rare to play a character defined by her work and
not her male counterpart. I think it represents this generation of women who are
independent and capable and strong and not the product of something else, the
girlfriend or the victim of the villain of the piece. It's really exciting to
play a woman who's smart and intelligent and who uses her brain.
When someone tells me I'm a sex symbol
I'm like, 'What?' But I'll take what I can get. That'll teach all those boys
back in junior high school. In fact, I hope my very first boyfriend, the guy I
dated for one month and who broke up with me at the Valentine's Day dance, I
hope that boy reads this! It's a huge compliment when someone says you're
attractive, especially when I was such an awkward kid, I was very tomboyish,
with very short red hair, running around with cowboy boots on.
[on her Oscar nomination for Best
Leading Actress for Zero
Dark Thirty (2012)] I think every actor would
love to be acknowledged for [their work]. I'm a marathon runner. I want to be
working when I'm 80 years old. Every support and encouragement helps you, but
I'm a marathon runner. It was a bittersweet Thursday for me. We were on an
airplane and then Kathryn
Bigelow came over to me and said,
"Congratulations, you got nominated for an Oscar," and I wanted to
scream, but I was worried I would be duct-taped to my seat by an air marshal.
And I said, "What about you?" and she said, "No no, we are
celebrating you." It was a difficult moment for me, but the film and
Kathryn were recognized with a Best Picture nomination.
It's easier to do an action scene
than a love scene. I love fighting. When the camera's not rolling, I'll usually
punch some of the actors, just for fun.
I don't work for awards but when you
receive support and encouragement, it opens me up more, it helps me be
vulnerable.
Fame and money have not been my
goals. If they had, then this probably would not have happened, because this
all happened from independent films. Not big pay checks. Even The
Help (2011) was an independent film. We
were all cast before the success of the novel. Thank God, because they would
have never ever given me Celia Foote had people known how big it would become.
There were a couple of times when I
thought, "Maybe I should dye my hair blonde?" I'm in LA and I'm
thinking, "Why can't I get an audition for a film?" Being a redhead
and not having very conventionally modern looks, it was confusing for people
and they didn't know exactly where to put me. Most of the time, it was,
"Why is this taking so long?"
[on playing a punk rocker in Mama (2013)] I took bass lessons for about a month and I learned
this song. Then, a week before we shot it I heard that the song was changed.
Then I learned that. We shoot it and the camera goes from one band member to
the next and then finally to me and the whole song has been played and Andrés
Muschiettigoes "Cut!" I'm like,
"Andy you showed me three seconds playing the bass and I spent five weeks
learning how to play." I really got into the music as Annabel and I was
listening to a lot of punk music. Now I really want to do a musical.
I will never say my age because I'm
an actress, and I want to play different ages.
[on how her life changed after the
release of Zero
Dark Thirty (2012)] After the screening, when
we got home, as soon as I got out of the car, there was another car that pulled
up behind and someone got out and said, "Jessica, I'm so sorry, but we
couldn't get into the screening", and they had followed me to my house.
That's when I'm like, "What's happening?" I mean, they were very
nice, but they were strangers and they had followed me for half an hour,
tailing my car because they wanted a photograph with me. That was when I
realized: "My life is different now". The one thing I've always
worried about is that, for me, acting makes me feel connected with society, a
part of something bigger than I am; a part of mankind. But they say that
sometimes what happens when you receive fame is that you're excluded. And I've
been really lucky, because for the last year and a half I haven't been. And now
suddenly I'm starting to see a change where people are treating me differently.
And I don't want to be treated differently. I still want to relate and have
conversations with people, but I don't want the balance to shift, so it becomes
about a man in my life. Most actresses are forced to talk about the men in
their life and I just don't find that interesting. I'm very shy when it comes
to guys. I like to be wooed, but I'd have to be more outwardly available, I guess.
I'm not going to lie, being given
free clothes is fantastic. I never used to imagine my wedding dress as a little
girl, but I'd always imagined my Oscar dress.
[on her hectic work schedule] It's
exhausting but I love the films. I love being on Broadway. I don't have time to
go to these Oscar dinners and stuff but perhaps that's for the best. Because
I'm on stage, I'm away from the craziness of that kind of campaigning. It's
really exciting. It's exciting because last year people were saying, "This
is your moment". So last year I kept saying, "I'm going to enjoy this
because it's never going to happen again. I am never going to have a year like
this again, it's incredible," and here I am this year, thinking, "I
am never gonna have another year like this"
I always had this fear of being
homeless. Being evicted. Which I don't know why I decided to become an actor.
Maybe it's because I grew up without money, so I knew I could live without
money. But I always had this thing of, I'm not going to be able to pay my rent.
I have heard things that sometimes
people think that I'm boring. And I imagine that probably comes from I don't
have a Twitter account where I post pictures of me in a bikini. I don't show a
side of my life that, to me, is like for my friends and my family.
I didn't grow up with a lot of
money, and we were evicted a couple times when I was a child. One time, I even
came home from school and there was someone locking our doors. And he felt
super guilty, and he asked me, "Do you want to go in and grab some
things?" So that's happened to me a lot growing up.
I love fashion that celebrates a
woman's body, that maybe is a throwback to the glamor of old Hollywood; that
silhouette but somehow making it modern.
My advice to any woman in a field
that has been in the past that was dominated by men, by numbers and by
seniority, would be to look at the great examples set by women like Kathryn
Bigelow and Maya, the woman I play in this
film and, instead of complaining about the numbers not matching -- and of
course that's an important issue -- but I've found that if you do really good
work, it'll rise to the top. Kathryn Bigelow never talks about the glass
ceiling in Hollywood for female directors. She shows up on set, she's an expert
at her work, and at the end of the day that's what you know her for. You don't
think, "She's a brilliant filmmaker and she's a woman, can you believe
it?" I just think she's a brilliant filmmaker.
In the press, I like to be known for
my work and not for whom I'm dating or what my favorite ice cream is.
[on awards season] A strange thing
happens this time of year. It starts to feel like it's a race. Acting is very
different than playing tennis. You don't put two people in a room and we match
it out. For me, I feel like I've already won. I never want to lose sight of
what I feel right now being in this business and being nominated.
You know when you've worked so hard
for something? And you finally get a taste of it? That's how I felt last year.
Like: oh my gosh, I'm an actress getting to the point where [Zero
Dark Thirty (2012) director] Kathryn
Bigelow will call me on my cell phone. You
want to grasp it, not let it go. This year's the first time I'm starting to
think that I don't need to be so terrified it's going to go away. I don't have
to work every single second. It's new - starting to exhale.
I don't accept that as an actress I
have to play one personality over and over. Tom
Hardy, Gary
Oldman - all these great actors are
allowed to change what they look like. Women in Hollywood? I've noticed they're
not.
If someone tells me "You can't
do that", I'm going to try to do it even more. It doesn't mean I'll
succeed. But it means I'll fight you.
Being on the sidelines for a long
time gave me the opportunity to strengthen myself to the idea of what fame is.
I've had time to understand the kind of actor I want to be. Personal life. Age.
"Who are you dating?" All of those things get in the way of playing
characters.
I wanted to be an actor my whole
life and when I was at Juilliard they had a cutting policy. Even if you showed
up to all your classes if the teachers thought you weren't good enough they
could still cut you. I just wasn't going to let them send me home.
[on Mama (2013)] This is not a cheap horror film, though I should
mention that I love cheap horror films. I love all horror films. But sometimes
horror relies on nothing but loud noises and false scares and cats jumping out
of cupboards. But this one refuses to do that.
I usually cry in the trailer on the
last day of filming, when no one else is around except hair and make-up people.
I always have a cry.
[when she received the Maui Film
Festival Nova Award] As an actor, you're used to so much rejection in your
life, so the past two years have been such a gift for me. To be here receiving
this acknowledgment from the festival in this incredible environment and to
share it with my family, it's a wonderful moment where work and family collide.
With every character, there are
things I have in common, and things I disagree with. But, I would never say one
of the characters was me. So much of Celia Foote is that heart energy. She is
such a cuddle bug, and I'm a little bit of a cuddle bug. With Maya, in a way
the character is married to her job, and loves her job. I'm never that extreme,
because I have my family and my friends that I make sure I stay in contact
with. But, her job consumes her and I can understand that, because I love this
job so much.
Since I graduated from college, I've
never once had to ask my parents for money, which my dad loves to tell people!
[on her life] My life has gone, you
know, a little wonderful and crazy.
[on her confidence] I did not feel
like a beautiful woman that people would kill each other for. Jessica - who I
am in my personal life - I'm very shy, I feel very awkward, I don't feel like a
femme fatale at all.
Acting, for me, is about exploring
things I don't understand in myself.
I love playing strong women that
don't just serve the male character of the story. When I get a character, I
always think: How can we give her a bit of an edge?
I find that the more famous you
become the less mysterious you are, the less the audience can believe [an actor
is] someone other than their public image. So I like the idea that maybe most
people on the street don't recognize me because then I can show up as Celia
Foote and people will be completely sidelined by it.
I want to play everything. A lot of
times actors are guided to play characters that they've had success with, that
the public likes, so you see sometimes they end up playing the same role over
and over again. For me, that would be the ultimate boring life.
I'm not a weak person. I try to
connect with people. And so if someone around me is suffering, I'm going to
feel it. I'm going to take it in and have compassion for them.
Every time I go to a party, I feel
so old. Even 10 years ago, or when I was going out in college, I always felt
like, "Oh my God, I'm so old." I'm not the crazy, wild girl, so I
need to knock back a few drinks in order to let loose and have a good time.
I thrive on fear. Fear actually
propels me forward. I am an emotional person. I'm an awkward girl. I get a
little shy, and I get nervous a lot. But every time I think I can't do
something, I actually want to do it.
Salary (1)
Take Shelter (2011)
|
$100 a day
|
Jessica Chastain is Cast the martian very good! Attended the drama division of The Juilliard School in New York City and was in the graduating class of her best friend, Jess Weixler. One of five children of a fireman stepfather and a vegan-chef mother with a food truck. Jessica was the first member of her family to attend college. Before her film career, she toured in a stage production of "Othello" with Philip Seymour Hoffman. In order to gain weight for the role of Celia Foote in The Help (2011), she ate soy ice cream melted in the microwave. Was personally handpicked by Al Pacino to play opposite him as the title character of the play 'Salome'. Pacino later recommended her to Terrence Malick, who gave her an audition for The Tree of Life (2011). Her idols are Isabelle Huppert, Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett, Emily Watson, Julianne Moore and Marion Cotillard. Click mad max fury road full watch movie free
ReplyDeleteAttended El Camino Fundamental High School in Sacramento, California, but later dropped out. One of her classmates was Mandisa. Was named on the list of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world for 2012. Owns a three-legged dog named Chaplin. Was named the Sexiest Smile by Victoria Secret's "What Is Sexy" list in 2012. Won the Next Future Icon award at The Elle Style Awards in 2012. Was awarded at the Elle Women in Hollywood Awards with the Calvin Klein Collection's Emerging Star Spotlight Award. Was awarded the inaugural Gucci Award for Women in Cinema for The Tree of Life (2011). See more: watch tv series