Chastain at the BFI London Film Festival in 2014
American actress Jessica Chastain studied at the Juilliard School , where she was signed for a talent holding deal by the television producer John Wells .[ 1] From 2004 to 2010, she had guest roles in television shows, including ER , Veronica Mars , and Law & Order: Trial by Jury .[ 1] [ 2] She also appeared in stage productions with Michelle Williams for The Cherry Orchard in 2004, and with Al Pacino for Salome in 2006.[ 2] In 2008, Chastain played the title character in her film debut Jolene .[ 3] She had a minor role in Stolen (2009), a critically panned mystery-thriller, following which she played the younger version of Helen Mirren 's character in the action thriller film The Debt (2010).[ 4] [ 5]
The year 2011 proved a breakthrough for Chastain.[ 6] Among her six film releases that year, she starred with Brad Pitt in The Tree of Life , an experimental drama from Terrence Malick , and portrayed an aspiring socialite in 1960s America in the drama The Help .[ 7] For the latter, Chastain received her first Academy Award nomination, in the supporting actress category.[ 8] In 2012, she voiced Gia in the $747 million-grossing animated film Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted .[ 9] She also played a CIA analyst in Kathryn Bigelow 's thriller Zero Dark Thirty —a partly fictionalized account of the manhunt for Osama bin Laden —which garnered her a nomination for Academy Award for Best Actress .[ 10] Also in 2012, Chastain made her Broadway debut in a revival of The Heiress , playing a naive young girl who becomes a powerful woman.[ 11]
In 2013, Chastain starred in the horror film Mama , and played an unhappily married woman in Ned Benson 's three-part drama film, collectively titled The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby .[ 12] Chastain's biggest live-action commercial successes came in the next two years with the science fiction films Interstellar (2014) and The Martian (2015), both of which grossed over $600 million worldwide.[ 13] In the former, directed by Christopher Nolan , she played a scientist, and in the latter, directed by Ridley Scott , she played an astronaut alongside Matt Damon .[ 14] [ 15] Chastain went on to play strong-willed titular protagonists in the political thriller Miss Sloane (2016), the historical drama The Zookeeper's Wife (2017), and the crime film Molly's Game (2017).[ 16] In 2019, Chastain played the adult Beverly Marsh in the horror sequel It Chapter Two .[ 17] In 2021, she starred in the HBO miniseries Scenes from a Marriage , and produced and starred as the televangelist Tammy Faye in the biopic The Eyes of Tammy Faye .[ 18] [ 19] For the latter, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress.[ 20] Chastain received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for starring in a 2023 Broadway revival of A Doll's House .[ 21]
^ a b Rochlin, Margy (August 24, 2011). "A Star Not Quite Overnight" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2015 .
^ a b Mulkerrins, Jane (November 2, 2014). "Jessica Chastain interview: on Interstellar, her rise to fame and being an outsider" . The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on November 2, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2015 .
^ Nelson, Rob (June 16, 2008). "Review: 'Jolene' " . Variety . Archived from the original on July 23, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2015 .
^ "Stolen (2010)" . Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on August 22, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2015 .
^ Mintzer, Jordan (September 4, 2010). "Review: 'The Debt' " . Variety . Archived from the original on June 29, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2015 .
^ Prigge, Matt (September 10, 2014). "Interview: Jessica Chastain wanted 'Eleanor Rigby' to have more of the female side" . Metro New York . Archived from the original on July 23, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2015 .
^ Sherwell, Philip (October 23, 2011). "The Help: the film dividing America" . The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on August 23, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2015 .
^ Bierly, Mandi (February 22, 2012). "Oscars 2012 Behind the Scenes: Casting 'The Help' nominees Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, and Jessica Chastain" . Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on July 23, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2015 .
^ "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" . Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on July 23, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2015 .
^ Rothman, Lily (January 11, 2013). "Jessica Chastain: The Oscar-Nominated Star Talks About Playing the 'Girl' Who Got bin Laden" . Time . Archived from the original on July 23, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2015 .
^ Green, Adam (October 22, 2012). "The Marriage Plot: Jessica Chastain Stars in Broadway's The Heiress" . Vogue . Archived from the original on July 23, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2015 .
^ O'Hehir, Andrew (September 11, 2014). " "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby": A mesmerizing marriage drama — in three different versions" . Salon . Archived from the original on July 23, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2015 .
^ "Jessica Chastain Movie Box Office Results" . Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 9, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016 .
^ Malkin, Marc (October 11, 2014). "Watch Jessica Chastain Tease Interstellar: "It's Definitely A Love Story" " . E! . Archived from the original on September 3, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2015 .
^ McCarthy, Todd (September 11, 2015). " 'The Martian': TIFF Review" . The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2015 .
^ Scheneller, Johanna (March 30, 2017). "The many defiant women of Jessica Chastain" . The Globe and Mail . Archived from the original on October 11, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2017 .
^ O'Sullivan, Charlotte (September 3, 2019). "It: Chapter Two: Why Jessica Chastain Was Covered in 4,500 Gallons of Fake Blood" . London Evening Standard . Archived from the original on September 9, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019 .
^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (October 23, 2020). "Jessica Chastain Re-Teams With Oscar Isaac In HBO Series 'Scenes From A Marriage' After Michelle Williams Exit" . Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on July 10, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2021 .
^ Fear, David. " 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye': Jessica Chastain Will Have You Crying 'Holy Sh-t' " . Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022 .
^ Pulver, Andrew (March 27, 2022). "Jessica Chastain wins best actress Oscar for The Eyes of Tammy Faye" . The Guardian . Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022 .
^ Evans, Greg (May 2, 2023). "Tony Award Nominations: Jessica Chastain, Sean Hayes, Corey Hawkins Among Nominees" . Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023 .