Happy Birthday: Jessica Chastain

Jessica Chastain

Born: March 24, 1977 in Sacramento, California, USA

In the press, I like to be known for my work and not for whom I’m dating or what my favorite ice cream is.

[on awards season] A strange thing happens this time of year. It starts to feel like it’s a race. Acting is very different than playing tennis. You don’t put two people in a room and we match it out. For me, I feel like I’ve already won. I never want to lose sight of what I feel right now being in this business and being nominated.

You know when you’ve worked so hard for something? And you finally get a taste of it? That’s how I felt last year. Like: oh my gosh, I’m an actress getting to the point where [Zero Dark Thirty (2012) director] Kathryn Bigelow will call me on my cell phone. You want to grasp it, not let it go. This year’s the first time I’m starting to think that I don’t need to be so terrified it’s going to go away. I don’t have to work every single second. It’s new – starting to exhale.

I don’t accept that as an actress I have to play one personality over and over. Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman – all these great actors are allowed to change what they look like. Women in Hollywood? I’ve noticed they’re not.

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