Jessica Michelle Chastain (born March 24, 1977) is an American actress and film producer. Chastain made her film debut in the drama Jolene (2008), and gained wide recognition in 2011 for starring roles in half a dozen films, including the dramas Take Shelter and The Tree of Life. Her performance as an aspiring socialite in The Help earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. In 2012, she won a Golden Globe Award for playing a CIA agent in the thriller Zero Dark Thirty. Chastain made her Broadway debut in a revival of The Heiress in the same year. Her highest-grossing releases came with the science fiction films Interstellar (2014) and The Martian (2015), as she continued to draw praise for her performances in the dramas The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (2013), A Most Violent Year (2014) and Miss Sloane (2016).
Some trivia
I’m very sensitive in real life. I cannot 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.
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.