Jessica Chastain

Jessica Michelle Chastain

24 March 1977

An American actress. Chastain first developed an interest in acting at the age of seven, after her grandmother took her to a production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", which starred David Cassidy. She later attended Sacramento City College, where she was a member of the debate team. A scholarship by Robin Williams provided the funds for Chastain to attend Juilliard School in New York City, where she was a member of the Drama Division's Group 32 (1999–2003). She was an active participant in the drama department and starred in several theatrical productions and student film projects. She graduated from Juilliard with a B.F.A. degree in 2003.

Facing early difficulty in even getting auditions for roles, she recalled that "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." In her television debut, The WB network's pilot remake of the 1960s gothic soap opera "Dark Shadows", she portrayed Carolyn Stoddard, who was originated by Nancy Barrett. Directed by P. J. Hogan, the pilot did not live up to the network's expectations and the series was eventually not picked up for broadcast.

Chastain's biggest commercial success of 2011 was "The Help", which was based on Kathryn Stockett's novel of the same name. Her performance received praise from critics and earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, which she lost to her co-star Octavia Spencer. Chastain continued to receive positive reviews for her performance in the 2011 film "Take Shelter" playing the wife of a small town man plagued by apocalyptic visions.

Her portrayal of Maya in Kathryn Bigelow's action thriller film "Zero Dark Thirty" earned her the Critics Choice Movie Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress, the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.

Chastain holds the distinction of being one of the only actresses to have ever starred in films holding the top two box office positions in a given weekend, which she did twice with "The Help" and "The Debt" in 2011, and with "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Mama" in 2013.

As actress, producer

• Dark Shadows (2004)
• ER (2004)
• Veronica Mars (2004)
• Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005)
• Close to Home (2006)
• The Evidence (2006)
• Blackbeard (2006)
• Journeyman (2007)
• Jolene (2008)
• Stolen (2009)
• The Debt (2010)
• Agatha Christie's Poirot (2010)
• Take Shelter (2011)
• Coriolanus (2011)
• The Tree of Life (2011)
• The Help (2011)
• Wilde Salomé (2011)
• Texas Killing Fields (2011)
• Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)
• Lawless (2012)
• The Color of Time (2012)
• Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
• Mama (2013)
• Salomé (2013)
• The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (2013)
• Miss Julie (2014)
• Interstellar (2014)
• A Most Violent Year (2014)
• Unity (2015)
• Crimson Peak (2015)
• The Martian (2015)
• The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016)
• Miss Sloane (2016)
• The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)

Quotations

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I have problems because I'm very expressive, and usually red lipstick gets on my teeth and face.

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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 cafe to get my tea, and then perhaps going to a bookstore and sitting and reading, then walking to the beach.

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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.

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I think that with any emotion - fear, love, nervousness - if the actor's feeling it, then the audience feels it.

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Before, it was just about making the films - and now it's releasing them. Which is a steep learning curve.

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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.

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I love fall because I love the whole cuddling aspect of it, and a sweater dress has that vibe of I'm going to hunker down and be warm, but it's also very feminine.

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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.

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I was excited that my films would finally see the light of day and people would see them. But I never imagined that such nice things would be said about a lot of my films.

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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.

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I've spent my life being embarrassed.

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I'm used to working really hard to get a role. I was always auditioning and talking my way into roles.

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I'm the first person in my family to go to college.

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I try not to fake anything.

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When I first moved to Los Angeles, I don't think anyone knew what to do with me.

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I don't like the idea that fame could mean that people can no longer relate to me.

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I love being around great actors and film-makers, and I try to hide the fact that I'm in awe of them.

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I've had to learn how to say 'no' to offers.

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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.

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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.

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