Chastain power
Political thriller starring Chastain as cut-throat lobbyist in Washington DC. It must be...
Oscar-nominated star lifts the lid on secretive world of political lobbying in new movie Miss Sloane
and her addiction fills up this emptiness within her. And that was exciting for me to explore.”
And while Sloane’s methods might be questionable but Chastain doesn’t judge her character.
She said: “I feel sorry for her and I’m inspired by her, by her commitment to something.”
The only similarity they share is “dedication” to work, but Jessica added: “Sloane goes above and beyond what I do. I don’t sacrifice my sense of privacy or my personal life. She just has nothing but her job.”
Born in Sacramento, California, Jessica studied drama at New York’s prestigious Juilliard school through a scholarship funded by the late Robin Williams.
She graduated in 2003 but it wasn’t until Al Pacino cast her in the 2006 stage production of Salome that her career took off. She admitted: “It just took forever because I couldn’t get auditions. No one was really that interested and it was all rejection.
“Facing so much rejection, being told I wasn’t good enough, that I wasn’t pretty enough – I carried that within me and I behaved that way.
“It’s not an industry that creates confidence. It’s something you’ve really got to find within yourself.
“But then all of a sudden, the industry took notice and from then on I’ve been very fortunate.”
She rose to prominence in 2011, featuring with Brad Pitt in The Tree of Life and The Help, which earned her first Oscar nomination. Then in 2012, she appeared in the crime drama Lawless with Tom Hardy.
She said: “There’s nudity in it but what I liked so much is the idea of the gender stereotype being shattered in the love story.
“The character of Maggie is very aggressive with how she pursues the man and he is the one who is more submissive, and I like that.
“I like anything that shifts people out of their expectations of what a woman is supposed to be.”
It’s a subject matter she remains passionate about. She said: “It bothers me when someone looks at Zero Dark Thirty (which earned her a second Oscar nomination) or Miss Sloane and says, ‘It’s a great female character, but she’s too masculine.’
“I want to ask people, ‘What is masculinity and femininity today?’”
Her recent films include Interstellar, The Martian and The Huntsman: Winter’s War.
She added: “In 2017, we’re living in an age where gender lines are being blurred and it’s important that each man defines what masculinity is to him, and each woman defines what femininity is to her.”
It’s why she set up her production company Freckle Films.
Jessica said: “It’s really exciting because I like the idea of creating opportunity for other people and advocating for female voices in the industry. I’m using whatever platform I have to do what I can to offer opportunities to others.”
She recalls a talk by Hollywood power player Amy Pascal where she said the reason women get paid less is because they don’t ask for more.
Jessica added: “Because of that I now feel it’s my responsibility not to be arrogant but to claim my space in the world. I think all women need to learn that.
“I’m normally a very awkward girl and kind of shy but I’m talking about gender politics and the wage gap and women not asking for what they need.”
Although fiercely protective of her private life, Jessica does embrace social media.
She said: “I love sharing things with my fans. But I’m not going to put a picture of myself in a bikini. I like to keep an air of mystery.” ● Miss Sloane is out now.