Newly Minted Star Jessica Chastain Breaks Through

Newly Minted Star Jessica Chastain Breaks Through By Jenelle Riley December 8, 2011 Photo by Francois Guillot/AFP/Getty Images Jessica Chastain is the first to admit she has had a pretty amazing year. The Juilliard graduate had already made a name for herself onstage, playing opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Othello" and Al Pacino in "Salome." In fact, her first film role was "Wilde Salome," a part documentary, part staging of the play in which the sultry redhead embodies the title role. (The film is seeking distribution.) Following that, she shot the little-seen indie "Jolene," which was released last year.But in 2011, Chastain was everywhere. First there was her sublime turn in Terrence Malick's oft-delayed "The Tree of Life," playing the ethereal wife of Brad Pitt's character. Then she stole scenes as naive new bride Celia Foote in the big-screen adaptation of "The Help." If you were lucky, you caught her turn as the patient wife of a man having nightmarish visions of the future in "Take Shelter." Or maybe you saw her work as a Mossad agent in "The Debt," or searching for justice in "Texas Killing Fields," both with Sam Worthington. Currently she can be seen onscreen as the wife of Ralph Fiennes' banished general in "Coriolanus.""How is this my life?" Chastain asks with a laugh when talking about the last few months. "Professionally, it will never be this good. It's been a year where I took two films to Sundance; they both won the top prizes in their categories. I had the number one and number two movies at the box office in one week. I was in a film that won the Palme d'Or at Cannes. I would be so lucky for one of these things to happen to me. I don't think I could take anymore." Back Stage: You had done two unreleased films before landing the coveted role in "The Tree of Life." What was the process like? Jessica Chastain: My agent talked to me about the film, and I had an audition. It was like an open casting call in a way. It was at Francine Maisler's office. It was typical, a lot of girls waiting in the hallway to go in. I did the things they asked me to, a lot of behavior stuff: Put a baby to sleep, look at someone with love and respect, and I said a couple lines from a Eugene O'Neill play. The next day I heard Terrence Malick wanted to meet me.Back Stage: That behavioral stuff, is that unusual for an audition? Chastain: It's very unusual for a film audition. Normally for a film audition, you have your sides, and you're reading with someone on the other side of the camera. What was so beautiful about this audition was it was more about being than putting something on. I read the description of the character, and I knew who she was, but I think he just wanted to see how we were, how comfortable we were in front of the camera. Sometimes as an actor, you feel, "I have to do something; I have to make this interesting!" And the great thing about Terrence Malick is, it's not about doing anything. Yes, you're playing these people and it has to be absolutely real. But the most important thing is you're just being there. You're being honest about where the character is, and you're not being showy. I think that audition was just focusing on the breadth and the space of what that is.Back Stage: Was it intimidating meeting Malick for the first time? Chastain: I was really scared before I met him. I was and am a huge fan of his work, and there's this legend, a folklore, about him being this quiet, cloistered-off-from-society man. And to be honest, it couldn't be further from the truth. He was the nicest man. I met him for lunch, and his wife, Alex, showed up, and we just talked about our lives. He shared as much as he asked of me about himself. And he said to me, "I've got some pages I'd love for you to look at when you get back to L.A. And when you're comfortable, maybe you could put them on tape and send it to me." And I think because I was there and had made the trip, I said, "If you want, I'm okay working now. You can hand me the pages and we can just work." And I'm really glad I did that, because then we went back to the office and just played a bit, which is the spirit of a Terrence Malick film. It's never about hitting a mark; it's all about being in the moment and finding new surprises.Back Stage: When did you learn you had booked the role? Chastain: It took a while. The movie wasn't financed yet, and I was a complete unknown. He was always very sweet. He came to L.A. a month after that first meeting, and I did another audition, and he was always making sure I knew that hopefully it was leading somewhere. You never know as an actor. You don't know if someone with a big name is going to sweep in and all of a sudden I'm yesterday's news. He's a very loyal person. You know, I was originally cast opposite Heath Ledger, and we all rehearsed together in Texas. When Heath fell out and it was going to be Brad Pitt, I really thought, "Okay, I'm going to get fired," because Brad and I aren't the same age, and I don't know if it had always been Brad if I would have been cast originally. But Terrence Malick just isn't that kind of person. It was one of my favorite experiences I've ever had, making "Tree of Life." I just feel like it's more than a film to me. It changed my personal life and my professional life; it's this golden moment. When you're striving to play this embodiment of grace and compassion, kind of like this martyr and figure for all spirituality, it can't help but change who you are. Back Stage: Did you base her on anyone? Chastain: I started actually big. When I first read the script, Brad's character represents nature and survival of the fittest. She represents grace and the spirit world and unending love. I started as big as I could, so I studied paintings like Raphael's "Madonna." I would sit there and stare at these women, how they would hold their hands, how their eyes would be somewhat downcast. They never had a direct, aggressive gaze. And I watched a lot of Lauren Bacall films to soak up her voice, because she had this way of speaking that was so slow, there was nothing modern about it. Then I did a lot of reading about spirituality, and I read a lot about Mother Teresa. She was the first person I started reading. Terry suggested her to me, and when I did, I was really floored by what an amazing woman she is. From there, I had to ground her in what makes her humanher love for her boys. Her whole life is for them. Back Stage: You play a very different kind of wife in "Take Shelter." She supports her husband as much as she can, even when he's behaving crazy. Chastain: That was really important to me. I said to [writer-director] Jeff Nichols, "I don't want to be the nagging wife." Every scene could be "What's wrong with you; why are you acting like this?" If it's just like that, it's got to mean something. We have to show what he has to lose. This family, they love each other. But she can't be a pushover. She's not the mother from "Tree of Life" she's not this woman full of grace, willing to sacrifice herself for others. She's the mama bear; she's the grizzly that takes care of her cub. And when he does something that directly affects her daughter, she lashes out and attacks him. I loved that I had the opportunity to play this woman who had this deep sensitive love for her husband but was at the same time allowed to be really strong and was the head of the household.Back Stage: You also play a wife in "The Help," although your real scene partner is Octavia Spencer, who plays Celia's maid, Minny. Chastain: You don't always have that chemistry between people, and usually it's between men and women when they talk about it, and they mean it in an intimate way. But I thought our chemistry was so good. For comedy, for the more touching, emotional scenes. There's so much in the book that's so great between Minny and Celia, like Minny thinking Celia is an alcoholic. And when Celia saves Minny from a naked man and she says it's the first time a white woman has ever done anything for her. So I really felt like, "Octavia, we need to make our own movie!" Back Stage: Several of your films are generating awards buzz. Did you always know you had chosen projects that would be so successful, or is part of it luck? Chastain: When I make a film, I don't think about the end result of what will happen with the film. I don't think about if it will be successful or good for my career or if it will propel me somewhere else. I always try to choose movies that will be a great experience making it, because that's the only thing I have control over. I don't even have control over my performance, because there's an editor and a director. So I ask myself: What films can I do where I learn something and I leave the production better than when I came?Outtakes Will next be seen in "Mama" and "Wettest Country" also filmed a small role in Terrence Malick's latest, untitled filmWhile at Juilliard, she was approached by producer John Wells for a holding contract but opted to finish school instead.For her roles in "Take Shelter," "Tree of Life," and "The Help," Chastain was named best supporting actress by the NY Film Critics Circle; she earned a Spirit Award nomination for best supporting actress for "Take Shelter." Newly Minted Star Jessica Chastain Breaks Through By Jenelle Riley December 8, 2011 PHOTO CREDIT Francois Guillot/AFP/Getty Images Jessica Chastain is the first to admit she has had a pretty amazing year. The Juilliard graduate had already made a name for herself onstage, playing opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Othello" and Al Pacino in "Salome." In fact, her first film role was "Wilde Salome," a part documentary, part staging of the play in which the sultry redhead embodies the title role. (The film is seeking distribution.) Following that, she shot the little-seen indie "Jolene," which was released last year.But in 2011, Chastain was everywhere. First there was her sublime turn in Terrence Malick's oft-delayed "The Tree of Life," playing the ethereal wife of Brad Pitt's character. Then she stole scenes as naive new bride Celia Foote in the big-screen adaptation of "The Help." If you were lucky, you caught her turn as the patient wife of a man having nightmarish visions of the future in "Take Shelter." Or maybe you saw her work as a Mossad agent in "The Debt," or searching for justice in "Texas Killing Fields," both with Sam Worthington. Currently she can be seen onscreen as the wife of Ralph Fiennes' banished general in "Coriolanus.""How is this my life?" Chastain asks with a laugh when talking about the last few months. "Professionally, it will never be this good. It's been a year where I took two films to Sundance; they both won the top prizes in their categories. I had the number one and number two movies at the box office in one week. I was in a film that won the Palme d'Or at Cannes. I would be so lucky for one of these things to happen to me. I don't think I could take anymore." Back Stage: You had done two unreleased films before landing the coveted role in "The Tree of Life." What was the process like? Jessica Chastain: My agent talked to me about the film, and I had an audition. It was like an open casting call in a way. It was at Francine Maisler's office. It was typical, a lot of girls waiting in the hallway to go in. I did the things they asked me to, a lot of behavior stuff: Put a baby to sleep, look at someone with love and respect, and I said a couple lines from a Eugene O'Neill play. The next day I heard Terrence Malick wanted to meet me.Back Stage: That behavioral stuff, is that unusual for an audition? Chastain: It's very unusual for a film audition. Normally for a film audition, you have your sides, and you're reading with someone on the other side of the camera. What was so beautiful about this audition was it was more about being than putting something on. I read the description of the character, and I knew who she was, but I think he just wanted to see how we were, how comfortable we were in front of the camera. Sometimes as an actor, you feel, "I have to do something; I have to make this interesting!" And the great thing about Terrence Malick is, it's not about doing anything. Yes, you're playing these people and it has to be absolutely real. But the most important thing is you're just being there. You're being honest about where the character is, and you're not being showy. I think that audition was just focusing on the breadth and the space of what that is.Back Stage: Was it intimidating meeting Malick for the first time? Chastain: I was really scared before I met him. I was and am a huge fan of his work, and there's this legend, a folklore, about him being this quiet, cloistered-off-from-society man. And to be honest, it couldn't be further from the truth. He was the nicest man. I met him for lunch, and his wife, Alex, showed up, and we just talked about our lives. He shared as much as he asked of me about himself. And he said to me, "I've got some pages I'd love for you to look at when you get back to L.A. And when you're comfortable, maybe you could put them on tape and send it to me." And I think because I was there and had made the trip, I said, "If you want, I'm okay working now. You can hand me the pages and we can just work." And I'm really glad I did that, because then we went back to the office and just played a bit, which is the spirit of a Terrence Malick film. It's never about hitting a mark; it's all about being in the moment and finding new surprises.Back Stage: When did you learn you had booked the role? Chastain: It took a while. The movie wasn't financed yet, and I was a complete unknown. He was always very sweet. He came to L.A. a month after that first meeting, and I did another audition, and he was always making sure I knew that hopefully it was leading somewhere. You never know as an actor. You don't know if someone with a big name is going to sweep in and all of a sudden I'm yesterday's news. He's a very loyal person. You know, I was originally cast opposite Heath Ledger, and we all rehearsed together in Texas. When Heath fell out and it was going to be Brad Pitt, I really thought, "Okay, I'm going to get fired," because Brad and I aren't the same age, and I don't know if it had always been Brad if I would have been cast originally. But Terrence Malick just isn't that kind of person. It was one of my favorite experiences I've ever had, making "Tree of Life." I just feel like it's more than a film to me. It changed my personal life and my professional life; it's this golden moment. When you're striving to play this embodiment of grace and compassion, kind of like this martyr and figure for all spirituality, it can't help but change who you are. Back Stage: Did you base her on anyone? Chastain: I started actually big. When I first read the script, Brad's character represents nature and survival of the fittest. She represents grace and the spirit world and unending love. I started as big as I could, so I studied paintings like Raphael's "Madonna." I would sit there and stare at these women, how they would hold their hands, how their eyes would be somewhat downcast. They never had a direct, aggressive gaze. And I watched a lot of Lauren Bacall films to soak up her voice, because she had this way of speaking that was so slow, there was nothing modern about it. Then I did a lot of reading about spirituality, and I read a lot about Mother Teresa. She was the first person I started reading. Terry suggested her to me, and when I did, I was really floored by what an amazing woman she is. From there, I had to ground her in what makes her humanher love for her boys. Her whole life is for them. Back Stage: You play a very different kind of wife in "Take Shelter." She supports her husband as much as she can, even when he's behaving crazy. Chastain: That was really important to me. I said to [writer-director] Jeff Nichols, "I don't want to be the nagging wife." Every scene could be "What's wrong with you; why are you acting like this?" If it's just like that, it's got to mean something. We have to show what he has to lose. This family, they love each other. But she can't be a pushover. She's not the mother from "Tree of Life" she's not this woman full of grace, willing to sacrifice herself for others. She's the mama bear; she's the grizzly that takes care of her cub. And when he does something that directly affects her daughter, she lashes out and attacks him. I loved that I had the opportunity to play this woman who had this deep sensitive love for her husband but was at the same time allowed to be really strong and was the head of the household.Back Stage: You also play a wife in "The Help," although your real scene partner is Octavia Spencer, who plays Celia's maid, Minny. Chastain: You don't always have that chemistry between people, and usually it's between men and women when they talk about it, and they mean it in an intimate way. But I thought our chemistry was so good. For comedy, for the more touching, emotional scenes. There's so much in the book that's so great between Minny and Celia, like Minny thinking Celia is an alcoholic. And when Celia saves Minny from a naked man and she says it's the first time a white woman has ever done anything for her. So I really felt like, "Octavia, we need to make our own movie!" Back Stage: Several of your films are generating awards buzz. Did you always know you had chosen projects that would be so successful, or is part of it luck? Chastain: When I make a film, I don't think about the end result of what will happen with the film. I don't think about if it will be successful or good for my career or if it will propel me somewhere else. I always try to choose movies that will be a great experience making it, because that's the only thing I have control over. I don't even have control over my performance, because there's an editor and a director. So I ask myself: What films can I do where I learn something and I leave the production better than when I came?Outtakes Will next be seen in "Mama" and "Wettest Country" also filmed a small role in Terrence Malick's latest, untitled filmWhile at Juilliard, she was approached by producer John Wells for a holding contract but opted to finish school instead.For her roles in "Take Shelter," "Tree of Life," and "The Help," Chastain was named best supporting actress by the NY Film Critics Circle; she earned a Spirit Award nomination for best supporting actress for "Take Shelter."