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
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.
It's a fact, the majority of films in Hollywood are from the male perspective. And the female characters, very rarely do they get to speak to another female character in a movie, and when they do it's usually about a guy, not anything else. So they're very male-centric, Hollywood films, in general. So I think it's incredible that Ned Benson, when I said I'd love to know where she goes, says okay, I'm going to write another film from the female perspective.
I'm really lucky because my goal, as an actor, is to disappear into the characters that I'm playing.
I like things where I can do a physical transformation, and I love accents and voices, and I'm never going to play the same character twice.
To a female superhero her sexiness is not the most important thing about her, it's her mind, her spirit, and when I look at that character that to me is an example of characters that I like to play and I think it does a great thing for women.
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'm the first person in my family to go to college.
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.
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.
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.
When I first moved to Los Angeles, I don't think anyone knew what to do with me.
Whatever anyone says, I think the opposite will happen.
I've had to learn how to say 'no' to offers.
No one ever recognizes me.