Eminently quotable Jessica Chastain is back at it again. The two-time Oscar nominee is speaking out about Hollywood’s toxic culture in a new interview with Time, and, as always, she’s offering plenty of insightful observations about the industry.
When asked if men in Hollywood are stepping back and considering what they’re doing wrong, the “Zookeeper’s Wife” actress answers that some are, “but a lot are quiet.” “That’s what’s so devastating,” she explains. “I know they are probably afraid because they don’t know what to say. And sometimes the problem is so close to your face, you just become blind to it. But now we all need to acknowledge and blow up this cycle of abuse.”
Chastain is promoting her newest film, “Molly’s Game.” The biopic sees her playing former Olympic-class skier turned “poker princess” Molly Bloom. Chastain is getting lots of Oscar buzz for her performance — and is nominated for a Golden Globe — and yet she’s still using her platform to speak candidly about these issues. She’s not quieting down about Hollywood’s toxic sexism — she’s speaking louder. “As an actor, I have a lot of fear, thinking that if I speak my mind, or something that feels like it deviates from the norm as a woman, am I going to be made to disappear in my industry?” the “Zookeeper’s Wife” star has acknowledged. She’s well aware of what her advocacy could cost her, but she continues to deliver these truth bombs.
The Time interview features other highlights, too. When asked what needs to change for women in film, Chastain observes, “We have grown up watching women be used as props on a man’s journey. It’s not our fault that that’s what we saw as children. But we need to acknowledge that and do better.” This spring she made headlines after addressing the disturbing depictions of women she saw on-screen while serving as a juror at Cannes. She attributed the problem partly to the lack of women storytellers at the fest. The “Zero Dark Thirty” actress has repeatedly drawn attention to the underrepresentation of women directors in Hollywood and has committed to working with a female director once a year.
“Molly’s Game” hits theaters December 25.
