What You Don't Know About Jessica Chastain

Jessica Chastain may be known for being one of Hollywood's most talented actors (with both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe under her belt), yet the California native has managed to keep her life off-screen under the radar. Chastain has been working steadily in Hollywood since 2004, with her first role being an appearance on the hit TV series "ER," per her IMDb. However, you could say it was her role in the popular flick "The Help" that launched Chastain into fame in 2011, before the critically acclaimed film "Zero Dark Thirty" solidified her A-list status that next year. Of course, Chastain has continued to thrive over the years, even taking home the Best Actress Oscar for 2021's "The Eyes of Tammy Faye."

It seems that Chastain isn't your average movie star though, in that she's rarely in the tabloids outside of a silly viral video (more on that later) and has been able to keep her personal life pretty guarded throughout her career despite her massive success. Because of that, there's a lot that fans may not know about Chastain outside of the characters she has played on-screen.

While Chastain has had a variety of interesting roles, the actor herself is just as fascinating, not only because of how far she's come in life but also because of the work she does outside of acting. So with that said, let's break down what you don't know about Jessica Chastain.

Jessica Chastain had a difficult upbringing

Jessica Chastain may be living the good life these days but she didn't have the easiest childhood. According to Daily Mail, Chastain's parents had her when they were only teenagers and following the birth of her younger sister, Juliet, Chastain's mother reportedly left her father. Chastain then became estranged from him and years later didn't attend his funeral. She even told Vogue (via Daily Mail), that his name isn't on her birth certificate, saying, "There's no proof of anything." Instead, Chastain seemingly considers her stepfather as her real dad, since she said that meeting him brought a sense of safety into her life.

It appears that the family had also struggled to make ends meet. As Chastain revealed to The Irish Times, "​​We did not have money. There were many nights when we had to go to sleep without eating." She reiterated how hard it was to USA Today, explaining, "We were evicted a couple times when I was a child ... I always had this fear of being homeless."

Later in life, Chastain's sister committed suicide at age 24 after struggling with drug addiction. "She had a lot of attempted suicides, but you never really think this is going to happen ... And when you get the call, it's... shocking," Chastain told Modern Luxury. Because of all she's been through, Chastain is reluctant to speak about her past, telling The Times, "When people see me, I think they expect a different background than I have."

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Jessica Chastain always wanted to be an actor

Jessica Chastain apparently knew that she was destined to become an actor ever since she saw "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at age seven. She recalled to The Independent, "There was a 10-year-old girl on stage as the narrator. And as soon as I saw the girl ... I just knew it was what I was going to do." After that, Chastain began to pursue her dreams, telling The Guardian, "I was always like: Mom, can you take me to LA so I can be in commercials? I don't think my parents thought that was even a real possibility." 

Chastain eventually dropped out of high school but worked with a professional theater company, which turned out to be a better fit. She explained to The Hollywood Reporter, "I wasn't interested in what the teachers were teaching me." That all changed though when Chastain later went to The Juilliard School, even though it initially had its challenges. She told The Guardian, "I was the first person in my family to go to college. I was terrified by this idea that my whole family was paying for it and I could get cut from the program." 

However, it was a scholarship from late actor Robin William that helped her afford it and subsequently changed her life. She explained, "My New York experience made me realize that my desire had nothing to do with becoming famous or making money. I was interested in exploring the human soul."

The Eyes of Tammy Faye star can sing but doesn't like to

Jessica Chastain may have impressed audiences with her singing in "The Eyes of Tammy Faye," but that doesn't mean it's something she enjoys doing. In fact, she revealed on "The Late Late Show with James Corden," "I would rather do full nudity than sing a song." She went on to explain, "I feel so embarrassed and so just completely out of element and out of my comfort zone ... It's just beyond anything I've ever been comfortable with."

Yet Chastain did find a way to calm her nerves admitting to Entertainment Weekly that she did so by having a drink. She seemingly used that same tactic for another role where she sings on camera as country star Tammy Wynette. "I'm drinking a lot of bourbon — I'm not gonna lie. There's a lot to get over my nerves," she told Corden. It probably also helps that Chastain worked with vocal coaches on both projects as well, and apparently rather intimidating producers. She dished to Variety, "I worked with Dave Cobb, who's the producer who did the 'A Star Is Born' [soundtrack]. That was super scary."

While Chastain may not be comfortable with singing, she is musically inclined in that she does play the ukulele. She even uses music to help her prepare for acting roles outside of just musicals. She explained, per Golden Globes, "I always listen to music when I'm working on characters and what maybe that character would be thinking of."

The Help actor is very private

It's pretty evident that despite being an A-list movie star, Jessica Chastain has managed to keep most of her life off-screen private. "​​I'm not interested in the fame of being a personality," she told InStyle, per E! News. For Chastain, getting a lot of attention apparently gives her anxiety so she makes it a point to keep certain aspects of her personal life to herself. For example, she told USA Today, "I've never gone on the red carpet with a significant other. Never." She even claimed to the Independent, "I will never say my age because I'm an actress, and I want to play different ages."

With that said, it should come as no surprise that she has kept her children very much under the radar, too. Chastain had welcomed a daughter via surrogate in 2018 and then had a second child in 2020. She never formally announced either birth but the paparazzi captured photos of her walking with the children both times in New York City.

Chastain later confirmed the birth of her first child on Instagram by writing in a caption of a 2018 New Year's photo, "Thank you all for respecting my privacy while I was blessed with the gift of becoming a mother." She also shared a photo of her baby's hands that next year. As for her second child, Chastain revealed their name by thanking her kids in her 2022 Oscars acceptance speech, saying, "Giulietta and Augustus, you are my heart."

Jessica Chastain is married to Italian nobility

While Jessica Chastain prefers to keep her personal life private, she has occasionally opened up about her husband, Gian Luca Passi de Prepoluso. Prepoluso was presumably no stranger to notoriety though, not only because he works as a fashion publicist but because he's basically royalty. According to Parade, Prepoluso is an actual count, descending from Italian nobility. The two had met at a Paris fashion show the day that she received an Oscar nomination for "The Help." Chastain gushed on "Live With Kelly and Ryan," "It's probably the best day I ever had." Chastain was clearly smitten, even telling W Magazine when they were dating, "He's a gentleman and that's very important to me."

The two went on to tie the knot in 2017 after five years of dating with an Italian wedding that was attended by stars like Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt. Yet marriage wasn't always in the cards for Chastain. She told WSJ Magazine, "When I first met my husband, he knew that marriage wasn't something I was interested in, and then, as we got to know each other, the idea of marriage shifted for me."

It appeared to be a good decision too, since Chastain added, "I actually love being married ... I am celebrating that I get to share my life with him." The notoriously private star is apparently even willing to share glimpses of that life on her Instagram, like doing 2019's #Imyourvalentinechallenge" where she teased him in a video.

Jessica Chastain has a production company

Fans may be surprised to learn that Jessica Chastain has another successful career off-camera as a producer. According to her IMDb, Chastain has been working behind-the-scenes in that role since 2010 and since then has been earning producing credits on critically acclaimed projects like, "Scenes from a Marriage," as well as "The Eyes of Tammy Faye." In 2016, Chastain even launched her own production company, Freckle Films. It's run strictly by female executives which, per Forbes, is a way for Chastain to push against gender inequality in Hollywood.

When it came to starting the company, Chastain explained to Variety, "I went 'well ... I need to put my money where my mouth is, and I need to start creating a company that will offer some opportunities for women and also highlight the stories that perhaps have been unheard and invisible." And she did just that with their first feature film "The 355," an all female-led action movie that Chastain also stars in alongside Lupita Nyong'o, Penelope Cruz, and Diane Kruger. "I have longed to work with other actresses ... but it feels like the industry doesn't want us in a room together," Chastain dished.

Yet Chastain did admit to ComicBook.com that creating "The 355" did come with its challenges. She recalled, "As a producer, every step of the way this movie was hard. I'm not gonna like sugarcoat, it wasn't easy ... We made it outside of a studio system independently for a fraction of the cost of what this normally would be."

The 355 producer advocates for women

It's safe to say that Jessica Chastain is a strong advocate for women, often using her platform to push for change. She explained to Town & Country, "I can use my power in the industry to uplift women who haven't been given opportunities in the past. It's really important for people ... to ask themselves are they doing enough for gender parity." One way Chastain is doing so herself is by fighting pay inequality in Hollywood. She told The Irish Times, "I'm no longer going to accept a situation where I am being paid a quarter of what my male co-star is being paid."

Chastain isn't just advocating for herself but her friends too, like Octavia Spencer, whom she helped negotiate her salary on a film. Spencer even tweeted, "I am making 5x my salary bc Jessica stood with me." Chastain also champions women through the roles she chooses, dishing to InStyle, "I want to see women portrayed like the ones I know — women who are really intelligent and strong and vulnerable."

Additionally, Chastain is a big proponent for women's healthcare, particularly because of how she grew up. She explained to The Times, "I'm the first person in my family to not be pregnant when I was 17," crediting Planned Parenthood as a major reason. In 2022, Chastain denounced the overturn of Roe Vs. Wade on Twitter, writing in one tweet, "You're not an ally if you're waiting for the women in your life to tell you to fight for her rights."

The Ava star has celebrity friends

With how Jessica Chastain helped Octavia Spencer increase her salary, it should come as no surprise that the "Ava" star has a lot of celebrity friends. When it comes to Spencer in particular, it appears that she and Chastain hit it off instantly when auditioning for "The Help." Chastain recalled to HuffPost, "Our very first scene that we read ... it's that moment just before you break character, and we're looking at each other, smiling, and she says, "I love you" and I said, "I love you!" The two apparently hung out off set, too. "​​She would come over to my apartment when we were shooting and I would bake her my vegan version of Southern food," Chastain told Metro.

Chastain also remained close with her "Interstellar" costar Anne Hathaway. Hathaway spoke of their friendship to Glamour UK, saying, "I'm trying right now to start a book club with Em and Jessica." It seems the actors support each other's work, too, since, per Daily Mail, Hathaway attended a special screening of Chastain's movie, "The Eyes of Tammy Faye," where they were photographed hugging. 

From the looks of her Instagram, Chastain is also into giving her friends birthday shoutouts on social media. She's posted tributes to Sophie Turner, James McAvoy, and, of course, Spencer, to name a few. Chastain even dedicated a post to Andrew Garfield, gushing, "​​Always grateful to this gem for his generous spirit and an inspiring collaboration."

She thinks her viral video with Oscar Isaac is funny

While Jessica Chastain usually keeps a low profile, the "Scenes from a Marriage" star went viral in 2021 thanks to a steamy slow motion video of her costar, Oscar Isaac, kissing Chastain's arm on the red carpet. The internet became so infatuated with the kiss that Chastain was asked about it while on the "Today" show. She explained, "Everybody is super sexy in slow motion." She added, "I think it was really funny because when you look at it in regular speed... he just kind of goes to give me a peck on my elbow... I'm going to give him a hug. So all of a sudden, his face ends up in my armpit."

Regardless, fans were obsessed with their chemistry, which Chastain pointed out was of course just acting. She did acknowledge though that they do have a past, saying, "We went to college together." Yet some fans still speculated there was more between them, which Chastain shut down on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." She dished, "We're both married to other people, we've been friends for more than 20 years. If it hasn't happened yet, it's not gonna happen." 

However, Chastain understands there's probably another reason why people were so taken with that moment post-pandemic. She rationalized, "We have all been locked in our houses for so long. When this video went viral, I was like, 'People just need to see people touch and hold each other.'"

Jessica Chastain is vegan

Jessica Chastain became a vegan over a decade ago after she says gaining and losing weight for roles left havoc on her body. That feeling initially led "The Zookeeper's Wife" actor to try a vegan raw food diet. She recalled to Shape, "The first week, I was so miserable. But by the second week, I had so much energy." She then decided to go just vegan, adding, "My body was clearly telling me the way it wanted me to eat."

It probably helps that Chastain is also very passionate about animals. She even partnered with The Humane Society to promote Veganism, as well as animal adoption. "I've always been a huge animal lover, supporter. I've adopted every animal I've ever had ... I'm vegan. I believe in buying cruelty-free products," she explained in a video by PeopleTV. While Chastain advocates for veganism, she dished to People, "I don't think everyone needs to be vegan. It just means helping create healthier choices for society and for our hearts at the end of the day."

Yet Chastain did joke on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" that her diet does sometimes make things difficult when dining with her Italian In-laws, who she says don't really understand her declining some of their food because of cultural differences and the language barrier. She joked, "​​In the beginning, I would say I'm vegan ... which is like the worst thing ... I would say, 'I'm sorry I can't eat that,' and [my mother-in-law] would say, 'No problem, we have fish.'"

She was hesitant to play Tammy Faye Bakker

It can be said that "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" is one of Jessica Chastain's most important films since it's what led her to win the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2022. Chastain had been working on the movie for over a decade after getting the rights to the documentary of the same name back in 2012. She recalled to W Magazine, "I was blown away by her and the true story of who she was," adding, "I just wanted to tell her story so bad."

For Chastain, it was important that the film pointed out a side of the televangelist that many didn't see, considering that she was mainly known for her husband's fraud and sexual misconduct scandals, as well as for her over-the-top look. Chastain explained to EW, "I believe [this film] is righting a wrong of a sexist culture that she was vilified in." 

Yet, the role was extra challenging because Tammy Faye Bakker was a real person. "​​This was much harder than anything else I've done. When you're creating a character that is fiction, you can do whatever you want," Chastain explained. She was also hesitant because of the physical transformation she had to undergo for the role. She told the Los Angeles Times, "Because women have been valued by how they look ...we haven't really liked women to deviate from that. I just felt like I was playing into this situation where I was making it so easy to be ridiculed."

The Interstellar actor's net worth

Jessica Chastain may be worth more than you think since her income doesn't just come from acting and producing. In fact, she's also a savvy businesswoman who's invested in different companies. One of those is the plant-based meat brand, Beyond Meat, which she also did advertisements for. It appeared to be a good fit for Chastain not only because it became a super successful IPO, but because it was something she used herself as a vegan. She explained on Instagram, "I won't invest in something unless I believe in it, and use it in my real life."

Chastain went on to invest in LA's first professional women's soccer team in 2020. She also made money as the face of high-end brands like Ralph Lauren and Yves Saint Laurent. When it came to partnering with the latter, Chastain dished to WWD, "The brand has conveyed strong values that I cherish, such as an unwavering commitment, absolute love and feminine audacity."

Because of that, it should come as no surprise that Chastain has an impressive amount in the bank, which per Celebrity Net Worth, is about $50 million. It seems Chastain likes to spend some of that money on real estate, including the $8.875 million five-story townhouse she bought in New York City's Upper West Side in 2019. If that's not enough space, Chastain also owns a $1.8 million Greenwich Village apartment too, as well as a home in Los Angeles presumably for when she's working in Hollywood.

Jessica Chastain is a natural redhead

Many would say that Jessica Chastain's most distinctive feature is her gorgeous red hair, which for those who don't know, is 100% natural. While it's something that she loves about herself now, she didn't always feel that way. "The Martian" actor explained to Refinery29, "As a child, I didn't want to be different ... I was ridiculed for having red hair; for having freckles." That eventually changed as Chastain got older, with her adding, "Whatever you are ridiculed about that makes you different is what you'll celebrate in the future ... I realized that's who I am, and my differences [make me] special."

Seemingly because of that, Chastain rarely dyes her hair and instead uses wigs for different roles. The prop not only protects her natural hair but apparently helps Chastain get into character too. "When I sit in a makeup chair and the hairstylist puts a wig on me, I feel the character collecting ... I see it as a tool to help transform," she said.

It's probably also Chastain's red hair that contributes to fans confusing her with fellow redhead actor, Bryce Dallas Howard. It apparently happens so much that Chastain made a "Sick of It" themed TikTok about it, where she wrote, "When you spend 20yrs building a career and they still think you work at Jurassic Park." All in all, even though Chastain is often mistaken for Howard and tries to keep her life off-screen private, it's safe to say she is someone definitely worth knowing about!