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Aside from Jessica Chastain’s distinctive acting skills and her ability to transform herself on screen, she has also been a powerful voice for women in Hollywood. American actress and film producer Jessica Chastain is popular for her role as a strong woman in the show business, making sure to voice and represent suppressed women.

Jessica Chastain believes that women has important role in every aspect of the world and they are vital to the society. The famous actress has had numerous awards for her acting skills such as Academy Awards twice and a Golden Globe Award. Aside from her acting skills, she was also recognized as an iconic figure by the people as she was even listed by Time magazine as one of the most influential people in the world in 2012.

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Early Life

She was born as Jessica Michelle Chastain on March 24, 1977, in Sacramento, California to parents Jerri Renee Hastey and Michael Monasterio. Her parents were both still young when they had her. Chastain’s biological father was not listed on her birth certificate as they were estranged from the start and her vegan chef mother later married a firefighter named Michael Hastey. She grew up together with her two sisters and two brothers; however her younger sister took her own life in 2003 which left Chastain devastated. However life has to go on and she found herself wanting to do some acting which she found interest in since she was only seven years old when she attended a production of the Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with her grandmother.

Jessica has attended El Camino Fundamental High School however, she did not qualify to graduate because she had too many absences but she later earned her diploma as an adult. As a teenager, she has attended Oregon Shakespeare Festival which made her miss her classes and she even stated that she hated being in class because she feels like she is not learning anything. Jessica then attended Sacramento City College where she eventually joined a debate team and then transferred to American Academy of Dramatic Arts and eventually graduated on 1998.

Small Steps Which Lead To Bigger Opportunities

When Jessica was still pursuing her graduation from Јuіllіаrd, she had started her career with the role of holding deal event. During this time, she was already doing auditions to nearby areas. With luck on her side, she eventually landed her first role in TV for the role of Carolyn Stoddard in the remake of show Dark Shadows. She then appeared in the drama series of ER where she has to play the character of a psychotic person. She has played numerous small roles on different TV shows such as Lаw & Оrdеr: Тrіаl bу Јurу, Veronica Mars and Close to Home.

After four years of doing small parts in movies and TV shows, she eventually got her first major project to debut in a film and played the role of the Jolene. She had a great impression from doing the movie but she still struggled to get lead roles for several years. It was in 2008 when her work has been admired by the industry. Al Pacino even recommended her to director Terrence Malick who eventually casts her with Brad Pitt in the movie The Tree of Life.

Jessica Chastain’s Rise to Fame

Jessica Chastain’s fame continuously grew as she continues to work on different movie projects. With Malick's famously lengthy editing process, she was able to finally rise to fame in 2011. Her CV reached Steven Spielberg who is producing a civil rights drama The Help, during this time she was also casts in a psychological thriller Take Shelter which was written and directed by Jeff Nichols. She was recognized at this time since she was promoting back to back releases which caught the attention of the public. These projects she was promoting also did great in the box office as The Help even brought in $216.6 million at the box office.

The success of her movies in 2011 jumpstarted her career and numerous producers lined up to get her. She then starred in a horror film Mama and did the drama The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby in 2013. She received critical acclaim for her performance in the movie A Most Violent Year. Her movie Interstellar opposite actor Matthew McConaughey made her a household name which grossed about $701.8 million at the box office. She had another hit movie in 2015 in the sci-fi movie The Martian which then earned about $630.2 million worldwide. She then starred in the movie The Huntsman: Winter's War and Miss Sloane the following year. In 2017 she did The Zookeeper's Wife, Molly's Game, and Woman Walks Ahead. In 2019, she took on the work of Stephen King, It Chapter Two, where she plays the adult version of Beverly Marsh.

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Sources: Wealthy Persons, Celebrity Net Worth, Independent UK