A biography for Jessica Chastainhasn’t been written yet.
“Women can be powerful, graceful, and complex, with the ability to make any choice they desire.”
“I grew up poor.”
“I'm working hard to break free of stereotypes that the film industry has created and nurtured around women.”
“Broadway has always been a dream of mine.”
“Only a woman can tell you what it's like to be a woman in a society where men are in charge. When you have one demographic that controls the livelihood of minorities, then you're always going to have abuses of power. So this goes way beyond Hollywood.”
“When 'Tree of Life' went to Cannes, all the interviewers were asking me about my favorite actors and actresses because I was new to the industry, and they wanted to get to know me.”
“What I do now, when I'm taking on a film, I always ask about the fairness of the pay. I ask what they're offering me in comparison to the guy. I don't care about how much I get paid; I'm in an industry where we're overcompensated for the work we do.”
“I don't want people to look at me.”
“I'm so inspired by the women who are far braver than I am, who have come forward with their stories and risked everything to help others. What is important is that the voices of these women do not disappear. We must amplify them.”
“There have been situations where I have lost movies because I've said, 'This is not a fair deal,' and I've walked away.”
“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.”
“When I get a script that has the opportunity to create discussion and inspire young girls, I don't want to say no to that... I just want to contribute.”
“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.”
“My goal is that a girl will watch 'The Martian' or 'Interstellar' and think, 'I want to be an astronaut or a quantum physicist.' It's important to show powerful women who are good at their jobs because young girls need those examples.”
“When I first moved to Los Angeles, I don't think anyone knew what to do with me.”
“My grandmother was my inspiration. She was the person who took me to the theater and encouraged me to act, and she's the one who always believed in me.”
“There's a lot of criticism on how an actress is aging. Why do we do that with women? I work with a lot of men who take terrible care of themselves - they drink too much, or they eat too much. We need to allow women to age.”
“I do know that people treat me different with blonde hair than they do with red hair.”
“I just want to see more women in film and behind the camera. I'm tired of seeing movies from one perspective.”
“I'm going to do anything I can to be there and support any organization that empowers and creates opportunities for women.”