Celebrity Extra

Q: Is it true that actress Jessica Chastain will be playing both Tammy Wynette and Tammy Faye Bakker? -- C.P.

A: Jessica Chastain made her professional acting debut in 2004 with a guest-star appearance on the hit medical drama “ER.” She’s so good, it’s shocking that she hasn’t won an Oscar. She’s come awfully close with back-to-back Academy Award nominations for her roles in “The Help” and “Zero Dark Thirty.”

Chastain will play the mascaracaked, publicly humiliated pastor’s wife Tammy Faye Bakker in the upcoming biopic film “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.” Andrew Garfield (“The Amazing Spider-man”) will play her televangelist husband Jim Bakker, while Vincent D’onofrio (“Full Metal Jacket”) takes on the role of Jerry Falwell. Chastain, who is also one of the film’s producers, credits Tammy Faye as “a woman ahead of her time.”

In addition to what will surely be another chance at Oscar with the above project, Chastain also could be a contender for an Emmy by playing another Tammy -- country music legend Tammy Wynette. “George & Tammy” is in preproduction for future streaming on Spectrum as a limited series. It’s based on a book written by George Jones and Wynette’s daughter, Georgette. According to Deadline. com, “George & Tammy” was originally pitched as a feature film seven years ago, but was later reenvisioned as a series. It hasn’t been announced yet who will play George, but regardless, I predict the 2022 awards season will be very kind to Chastain. ***