If there is one thing Jessica Chastain doesn’t need, it’s career advice. (Actually, let’s make one caveat to that statement, because we saw “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” and its 17 percent on Rotten Tomatoes is generous.)
However, even more unacceptable than a sequel to a movie about Snow White without Snow White is a director warning Chastain that talking about women’s issues would damage her career.
See, Chastain is one of Hollywood’s most outspoken actresses, regularly challenging a system that pays women less than men and casts them in roles devoid of complexities. She’s penned an essay for The Hollywood Reporter about gender imbalance in the industry and joined a chorus of other actresses calling for equal pay. Chastain even sits on the advisory board of the organization We Do It Together, which is dedicated to empowering women through film, and created the production company Freckle Films to encourage diversity in filmmaking.
That’s why it’s disheartening to hear how a male director, whom she holds in high regard, pulling her aside to dissuade her from speaking out about her beliefs.
“I had one male director say to me that I talk too much about all of this ‘women stuff.’ This is a person I love, and maybe he was concerned I would hurt my career.” she told the in-flight magazine American Way in a recent interview. “I’m not attacking anyone. I’m trying to create more inclusiveness, compassion and empathy — which in turn makes better movies, better art.”
With her upcoming movie, “The Zookeeper’s Wife,” telling the story of a woman who saved lives during WWII, it seems like Chastain is more committed than ever to subverting Hollywood norms by playing complicated women.
“I just don’t know why it’s not changing,” she says of the industry, citing a litany of damning statistics. “I’m doing my part to make the change, so why isn’t everyone else?”
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