Jessica Chastain
Jessica Chastain
Jessica Michelle Chastainis an American actress and film producer. Born in a small town near Sonoma, California and raised in Sacramento, Chastain developed an interest in acting from a young age. As a teenager she made her professional stage debut as Juliet in a 1998 production of Romeo and Juliet. She went on to study acting at the Juilliard School, after which she was signed on for a talent holding deal with the television producer John Wells. She was a...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMovie Actress
Date of Birth24 March 1977
CitySacramento, CA
CountryUnited States of America
If someone does something bad to you, you do something worse to them so they never mess with you again.
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.
When you're on a Terrence Malick film, it's like you're part of a family.
Put others before yourself, unselfish love, do unto others as you would have done to you.
I don't like the idea that fame could mean that people can no longer relate to me.
I don’t mind if the character is a small character, but I would just like her to have a journey in the film. Sometimes the characters are just there as a prop to further the man’s story. The great directors I’ve talked to, I’ve said listen, I don’t mind playing a woman that is a tiny part, but how does the story affect her? What can I play in the end that’s different from the beginning? Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense, because it’s just like being a prop.
I love talking about acting. I'm just such a fan of actors and filmmakers, and I try to choose roles where I get to talk to great actors about acting and learn.
I've actually been given a great gift. When I walk into an audition with a director, I'm carrying no baggage. They haven't seen me in anything, even though I've done nine films.
Okay, I'm going to let you in on a little secret: I'm a very superstitious person. I'm walking onto the plane as we speak. I'm putting my hands on the outside of the plane and my feet are on the lip of the plane. I have to do it every time before I fly.
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.
Every time an actress is celebrated for her great work, I cheer. For the more brilliant their performance, the more the audience demands stories about women... And as we all know: a great year for women in film, is just a great year for film.
I've spent my life being embarrassed.
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 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.
I feel like the bigger risks that I take, the more I learn. I know that I learn more from my failures than successes.