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Jessica Chastain, star of The Savant, in 5 unforgettable roles
Like Julianne Moore, another exceptional redhead, Jessica Chastain has lent her diaphanous, magnetic beauty and subtle acting to influencial and talented filmmakers, such as Terrence Malick, Aaron Sorkin, Kathryn Bigelow and Christopher Nolan. As the crime series The Savant is about to come out on Apple TV+ on September 26th, 2025, throwback to some of the Oscar-winner actress’ most iconic roles.
par Violaine Schütz.
Jessica Chastain as an activist pin-up in The Help
Adapted from Kathryn Stockett’s bestselling novel, The Help (2011) sheds light on the abuse endured by African-American maids in segregated Mississippi in the 1960s. The civil rights movement is only starting and Celia Foote (Jessica Chastain) is a fragile, hypersensitive young housewife and pin-up. She bonds with her Black nanny, who teaches her how to cook.
Alongside aspiring journalist Skeeter (Emma Stone), Celia tries to raise awareness among white Americans about the way Black women are treated in the South. For this moving role, Jessica Chastain read books about Marilyn Monroe, whose style she mimics in the film, and gained fifteen pounds by eating a liter of soy ice cream daily to prepare for her role. Her widely-acclaimed performance drew flattering comparisons to the versatile Nicole Kidman.
The Help (2011) by Tate Taylor, available on Disney+.
Jessica Chastain plays a determined CIA agent in Zero Dark Thirty
In this masterpiece directed by Oscar-winner Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break, The Hurt Locker), Zero Dark Thirty (2012) stages the hunt for Osama bin Laden by a U.S. special forces unit as a gripping, partly fictional investigation. The whole project feels more like a documentary than a work of fiction.
Matching the stunning narrative and visual virtuosity of the filmmaker, Jessica Chastain plays a tenacious, tough and brave CIA agent, who never lets her target go. During filming, the actress went through a depression due to the film’s topic. She would often break down in tears between takes. Jessica Chastain later revealed that it was one of the worst experiences of her life. Still, for cinephiles, it remains one of her most powerful performances.
Zero Dark Thirty (2012) by Kathryn Bigelow, available on HBO Max.
Jessica Chastain as a NASA engineer in Interstellar
Sublime, deep and metaphysical, Interstellar (2014) is one of Christopher Nolan’s finest films. It follows a group of explorers using a newly discovered space-time anomaly to embark on an epic interstellar journey. Jessica Chastain plays the adult daughter of Matthew McConaughey’s character, patiently awaiting her father’s return to Earth. The actress shines with her ethereal beauty and melancholic gaze in this nearly three-hour-long odyssey.
What drew Jessica Chastain to the film was the deeply emotional, almost symbiotic bond between a father and daughter. In real life, the later wasn’t as fortunate… Her father, a rock band musician, left his family early on.
Interstellar (2014) by Christopher Nolan, available on Netflix.
Jessica Chastain as a ruthless, cynical lobbyist in Miss Sloane
In the clever, gripping political and psychological thriller Miss Sloane (2016), Jessica Chastain plays Elizabeth Sloane, a smart power broker working behind the scenes in Washington. Among manipulation, unscrupulous tactics and legal manoeuvers, nothing can stop this lobbyist and she’s ready for the worst. The regal actress with impeccable allure fascinates us with her character – an impressive, detached and complex woman, who navigates the ruthless world of lobbying with ease.
Even though she appears as thoroughly Machiavellian and cold-blooded, she remains utterly compelling. The film is also feminist to some extent. It portrays of a woman, whose dazzling intellect and ambition rival those of the male leads in this type of political thrillers.
Miss Sloane (2016) by John Madden, available in VOD on Prime Video.
Jessica Chastain as the queen of underground poker in Molly’s Game
Based on a true story, Molly’s Game (2017) by Aaron Sorkin tells the incredible tale of a young woman who became the glamorous queen of an underground poker empire welcoming Hollywood celebrities in the 2000s. Her name is Molly Bloom and she managed to get revenge on her former boss by rising from the position of assistant to a man organizing high-stakes poker games to that of head of her own circle. $250,000 used to be the monumental buy-in she required.
Jessica Chastain is memorable in this role as an ambitious and morally complex woman, who moves in elite circles before being cornered by the FBI and threatened by the Russian mafia. She infuses her powerful performance with feminist undertones and a touch of vulnerability. To achieve this intensity, she met the real Molly Bloom, interviewed some of her former clients and researched the underground poker world. A near-journalistic approach that reflects the rigour and depth of the actress’ approach to her (often riveting) roles.
Molly’s Game (2017) by Aaron Sorkin, available on Canal VOD.
The Savant (2025) by Melissa James Gibson, available on Apple TV+ starting September 26, 2025.
