‘There is always light’
While “The Zookeeper’s Wife” doesn’t try to soften the horrors of war, it is, like “Schindler’s List,” the rare Holocaust movie which finds at least a few happy endings.
Chastain says as soon as he read the screenplay, she responded to its positivity.
“I was moved by the way that this story focused on The Holocaust,” notes the actress, 40. “But, in most films about the Holocaust, we see a lot of death and darkness and the worst parts of human nature. We also need to know that there is always light and we need to celebrate those people [who were heroes].
“Antonina and Jan were ordinary people who sacrificed their safety and their family’s safety to save the lives of hundreds of strangers. That should be celebrated, that quality in humankind. So, for me to tell that story is really special.”
Before it was a movie, “The Zookeeper’s Wife” was a best-seller by Diane Ackerman. Chastain admits she immersed herself in Ackerman’s account of the day-to-day lives of the Zabinskis.
“A lot of the book is based on Antonina’s journals and it’s really fascinating, the little gems you can get in there, especially when you’re reading something that’s so personal,” notes Chastain.
“One thing that I was really informed by was how much she deferred to her husband, but also how lonely she felt.”
Chastain has played a lot of commanding women in her time, including a CIA chief who helps track down Osama Bin Laden in “Zero Dark Thirty,” a tough-as-nails lobbyist in “Miss Sloane” and a fearless astronaut in “The Martian.”
But, for “The Zookeeper’s Wife,” opening March 31 in Philly, Chastain aimed for a lighter, softer characterization. She pitched voice a bit higher and worked with hair and make-up artists to help bring the loving and gentle Antonina to life. According to the actress, another key of the puzzle was provided by Teresa, the Zabinskis’ daughter.
“I had the opportunity to meet with Teresa, and it was really special,” says Chastain. “I went to Warsaw and we met at the zoo. We had a translator. It was very emotional, tears were shed, and I got to ask her things that weren’t in the book.
“She told me her whole life she never saw her mother wearing pants. I said, ‘Well, if Antonina was an animal, what kind of animal would she be?’ She said, ‘A cat, definitely a cat.’
“So, all these things that I got from the book and also from the family were very important in understanding the femininity and the softness of Antonina.”
Shot in Prague, “The Zookeeper’s Wife” afforded Chastain the opportunity work with scores of animals. Unlike many actors who prefer to avoid kids and beasts, Chastain has a much different take on the performing process.
“I love working with animals,” she says. “I actually prefer working with animals more than people.
“For me, it’s like what Antonina says, that when you look into an animals’ eyes, you know exactly what’s in their heart. It’s such a lesson I think for all of us. Animals are authentic. They don’t lie to you. There’s something so pure about them.
“So much of this film is about what it means to be in a cage. We see throughout the story people possessing other people. There’s this [theme] of ownership.
“For me, any living thing is not something to be owned or possessed. So I was very, very happy to have most of my co-stars be animals.”
Once Chastain wrapped “The Zookeeper’s Wife,” she began work on three back-to-back films, all of which are also coincidentally based on true stories.
In “Woman Walks Ahead,” she plays Catherine Weldon, a portrait painter from 1890s Brooklyn, who travels to Dakota to paint a portrait of Sitting Bull only to become entangled in the Lakota peoples’ struggle over the rights to their land.
In “Molly’s Game,” she plays Molly Bloom, a former Olympic hopeful who attracts the attention of the FBI after she establishes a high-stakes, international poker game.
And, finally, in “George and Tammy,” Chastain plays country crooner Tammy Wynette opposite Josh Brolin’s George Jones.
“I think it’s going to be fun,” says Chastain of the film directed by “Ray’s” Taylor Hackford.
While Chastain herself is an ardent feminist, Wynette’s biggest hit was the infamous anti-feminist anthem “Stand By Your Man.”
“[Wynette] married many times,” notes Chastain. “So she didn’t quite practice what she preached.”