There is a contingent of film fans that believe that actors, actresses, filmmakers, and other Hollywood types should just keep politics and social issues out of their professional careers. Those people probably dislike any interview with Jessica Chastain. The award-winning actress is one of the foremost voices supporting #MeToo and Time’s Up movements and never shies away from voicing her opinion. And in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she continues that trend.
“The socially conscious part [of me] is just everywhere,” Chastain says. “In my personal life and in my work life. I don’t think that’s a different hat. It’s just who I am.”
The actress is well aware that she brings up social issues and politics quite a bit. In the interview, she mentions how she struggles when she reads back quotes of hers. But as she says, Chastain can’t help herself. It’s just part of her. So, when the interviewer asks the actress about Harvey Weinstein’s recent arrest, not only does Chastain take time to talk about the disgraced Hollywood mogul, but she also brings up a legal case that you might not have heard about.
“He was arrested at 7:30 and then he was out at 10:30,” says Chastain. “Why do rich people not have to spend any time in jail? There was a kid that was accused of stealing a backpack and he was in jail forever. And then when he finally got released, he killed himself.” The kid she refers to is Kalief Browder, and if you aren’t aware of his story, you should read all about it.
The conversation turns to the pay disparity between males and females in Hollywood. In discussing how she is trying to help, Chastain invokes the deal she has with her upcoming film “355.” That film, as we’ve discussed, is the spy-thriller starring Chastain, Marion Cotillard, Lupita Nyong’o, Fan Bingbing, and Penelope Cruz.
“We independently financed it,” Chastain says. “And all five of the actresses own equity in the film. I love the idea about creating this movie and seeing that these women aren’t just people for hire.”
“Like Susan Sarandon or Jessica Lange or Sissy Spacek. You wonder: These incredible actresses, where are they now? Why did they disappear for so long? It was a system that wasn’t working. And so I thought, ‘Well, what if we now take the power and give it to the actresses?'” she continued.
Another example that the actress discusses is her recently announced film with actress Octavia Spencer. According to Chastain, it was crucial that the two ladies made the same salary, and fought for it.
“In an industry that for the longest time had pitted women against each other,” Chastain says, “it’s really important for me and my company to create a space where everyone understands that actually we do better together.”
She continues, “Your silence is your discrimination. So if you are succeeding in an environment where there is discrimination, you are actively being discriminatory. I knew women of color got paid less than Caucasian actresses. What I didn’t know is someone of Octavia’s level, who had an Oscar and two Oscar nominations, how much less she would be getting paid. When she told me what she was making, that’s what really made me go, ‘Hold up, that doesn’t compute in my brain.'”
So for those who aren’t excited to hear about these things, and continue to desire for Chastain to keep quiet, it doesn’t appear like that’ll happen anytime soon. She’s one of the biggest actresses in the world and apparently wants to use that clout to back up her words with actions.