CULTURE

Jessica Chastain Is the Heroine Women Deserve

“In our society, women are valued for their sexual attraction. I’d like to get away from the sex symbol idea of what beauty is,” she explains.


Jessica Chastain
Photograph by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott. W Magazine, March 2017.

After playing characters who took on the gun lobby, Southern racism, al-Qaeda, and assorted husbands running the gamut from clueless to abusive, Jessica Chastain can ­hardly be blamed for wanting a vacation from human nature. She told her agent to look for a film about animals. Along came The Zookeeper’s Wife, out this month, based on the best-selling book by Diane Ackerman. The story draws on the unpublished diaries of Antonina Zabinski, who, with her husband, Jan, ran a zoo in Warsaw, Poland, and smuggled some 300 Jews to safety during the Nazi occupation. Chastain’s is the title role, and the film revolves around her as she cares for a dwindling menagerie and a growing flock of people. The Jews locked in the ghetto are photographed by those on the outside through the bars of the gate. The film, she says, is about “life in a cage.” So much for that vacation.

Chastain has always loved animals. “You look into their eyes and you can see what’s in their heart,” she says, echoing her character’s words to a young girl who has just been raped by German soldiers. Antonina strokes a rabbit as she talks, recounting her own childhood as a fugitive after the wartime murder of her father in her native Russia. “Animals helped her to heal,” Chastain says. “I think Antonina could connect better to animals than she could to people. And I believe animals can teach you how to handle people. I never go into their space unless they are ready to receive me.”

Watch Kate Moss, Jennifer Lopez, Taraji P. Henson and Jessica Chastain Sit for their Revealing Screen Tests

It was Chastain who suggested that Johan Heldenbergh, the Belgian actor, writer, and director, play Jan. A lover of foreign films, she had been impressed by his performance in The Broken Circle Breakdown, a Belgian movie he cowrote, which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2014. Niki Caro, Zookeeper’s director, agreed that Heldenbergh would be perfect for the role. But then the studio executives balked, on the grounds that he’d never acted in English. “So I went on YouTube,” Chastain says. “And I’m an obsessive person.” She typed in his name and kept searching until she came across a video of a toast he had given in a bar in Los Angeles. “And I’m like, ‘He can speak English. Here you go.’ ”

Virile and complex, Heldenbergh holds his own against Chastain, who, with her columnar neck and fine bones, is at her most radiant. The heat between them anchors the film in their life as a couple. They are heroic, though not by the usual Hollywood standards, which, Chastain notes, have more to do with aggression; their courage, she says, takes the form of compassion.

Antonina is the latest in a succession of strong women Chastain has played. In some cases, their beauty has shaped their personalities. Oddly enough, that doesn’t seem to be true of Chastain herself. She’s a bombshell on the red carpet, in a film, or whenever the situation calls for it, but not on her own time. “I don’t walk around like this,” she says, dressed in glamorous makeup, a black blouse and pants, and heels for a media Q&A following our conversation. “In our society, women are valued for their sexual attraction. I’d like to get away from the sex symbol idea of what beauty is. Actually, that’s probably the farthest thing from beauty, because it’s makeup and hair, it’s pouty lips—it’s not real.”

Chastain has a similarly ambivalent relationship to the fame that has come with her success. She obliges the photographers, but you won’t see her diet tips or the details of her private life on a cover at the newsstand. She goes to the gym. She takes the subway. “The reason we like acting is connecting to other people,” she says. “Why would I ever put myself in a situation where I couldn’t talk to those people anymore?” The Zookeeper’s Wife comes on the heels of Miss Sloane, in which Chastain was a Washington lobbyist scheming to secure passage of a Senate bill on gun control. Miss Sloane, not Ms. “It’s sexist; it’s patronizing,” Chastain says. And that’s the point. “No woman would call her Miss Sloane.” The men she deals with professionally find her hard shell and relentless drive repugnant. And yet, Chastain continues, “if you put a male actor in a role in which he can’t hold down a relationship because he’s so focused on his job, he goes with prostitutes, he’s fighting for the good of all against the good of the few. Okay, we’ve seen those characters before. The renegade, the loner—that’s the male lead, right? But for some reason, women aren’t supposed to be that. We’re not supposed to be ambitious, we’re not supposed to be ‘overprepared,’ ” she says, citing the charges leveled at Hillary Clinton during one of last year’s presidential debates.

A Salute to 5 Powerful Women: Jennifer Lopez, Donatella Versace, Kate Moss, Taraji P. Henson, and Jessica Chastain

Versace wears her own Versace clothing; her own ring. Beauty: Nars. Henson wears Versace top, skirt, and sandals. Beauty: MAC. Moss wears Versace dress and sandals; De Beers ring. Beauty: Decorté. Chastain wears Versace dress and sandals; Piaget ring. Beauty: Urban Decay. Lopez wears Versace jumpsuit, bra, and sandals; bracelet from Beladora, Beverly Hills; de Grisogono ring. Beauty: L’Oréal Paris.

Photograph by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott. Styled by Edward Enninful. Hair for Chastain, Henson, and Lopez by Shay Ashual at Art Partner; hair for Moss by Cyndia Harvey for Bumble and bumble at Streeters; hair for Versace by Kiril Vasilev; makeup for Chastain, Henson, and Lopez by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; makeup 
for Moss by Isamaya Ffrench for Tom Ford at Streeters; makeup for Versace by Renato Bernardi; manicures for Chastain, Henson, and Lopez by Mei Kawajiri for Chanel at Orme Square; manicures for Moss and Versace by Adam Slee for Rimmel London at Streeters. Set design by Andrea Stanley and Emma Roach at Streeters. Photograph by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, Styled by Edward Enninful; Hair by Kiril Vasilev; makeup by Renato Bernardi; manicure by Adam Slee for Rimmel London at Streeters. Set design by Andrea Stanley and Emma Roach at Streeters. Produced by Across Media Productions; Fashion Assistants Ryann Foulke, Dena Gianni; Hair assistants: Taichi Saito, Sean Mikael, Rebekah Calo, Katie Schember, Cat Wyman, James Oxley; Makeup Assistants: Taylor Treadwell, Lauren Aiello, Anete Salinieka, Sergio Alvarez; Manicure assistant: Chiharu; Set-design assistants: Devin Rutz, Colin Lytton, Nathan Smith, Chloe Park, Amy Bairstow, Philip Doucedame, Warwick Turner-Noakes.

The actress is changing notions of beauty. Read the full story here.

Chastain wears an Alexander McQueen dress.

Photograph by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, Styled by Edward Enninful; Hair by Shay Ashual at Art Partner; makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; manicure by Mei Kawajiri for Chanel at Orme Square. Set design by Andrea Stanley and Emma Roach at Streeters.

Jennifer Lopez is impossible to pigeonhole–impossible to stop. Read the full story here.

Lopez wears a Fleur du Mal bodysuit; (right hand) Piaget rings; (left hand) Nirav Modi ring.

Photograph by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, Styled by Edward Enninful; Hair by Shay Ashual at Art Partner; makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; manicure by 
Mei Kawajiri for Chanel at Orme Square. Set design by Andrea Stanley and Emma Roach at Streeters.

What makes the supermodel great? Find out in a candid interview here.

Moss wears a Gucci cardigan.

Photograph by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, Styled by Edward Enninful; Hair by Cyndia Harvey at Streeters; makeup by Isamaya Ffrench for Tom Ford at Streeters; manicure by Adam Slee for Rimmel London at Streeters. Set design by Andrea Stanley and Emma Roach at Streeters.

Taraji P. Henson is an actress on a mission. Read the full story here.

Henson wears a Lanvin dress.

Photograph by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, Styled by Edward Enninful; Hair by Shay Ashual at Art Partner; makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; manicure by Mei Kawajiri for Chanel at Orme Square. Set design by Andrea Stanley and Emma Roach at Streeters.

So you want a fashion revolution? Donatella Versace is your woman. Read the full story here.

Versace wears her own Versace dress.

Photograph by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, Styled by Edward Enninful; Hair by Kiril Vasilev; makeup by Renato Bernardi; manicure by Adam Slee for Rimmel London at Streeters. Set design by Andrea Stanley and Emma Roach at Streeters. Produced by Across Media Productions; Fashion Assistants Ryann Foulke, Dena Gianni; Hair assistants: Taichi Saito, Sean Mikael, Rebekah Calo, Katie Schember, Cat Wyman, James Oxley; Makeup Assistants: Taylor Treadwell, Lauren Aiello, Anete Salinieka, Sergio Alvarez; Manicure assistant: Chiharu; Set-design assistants: Devin Rutz, Colin Lytton, Nathan Smith, Chloe Park, Amy Bairstow, Philip Doucedame, Warwick Turner-Noakes.
Photograph by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, Styled by Edward Enninful; Hair by Shay Ashual at Art Partner; makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; manicure by 
Mei Kawajiri for Chanel at Orme Square. Set design by Andrea Stanley and Emma Roach at Streeters.
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Miss Sloane brings to mind another tough trailblazer ­Chastain took on: Maya, the CIA agent who tracks down Osama bin Laden, in Zero Dark Thirty. Some critics found Maya lacking, because she didn’t have a boyfriend, as if the woman who had taken it upon herself to solve the case that had stumped all the intelligence experts needed to be made more likable by being in love. Chastain is making fine films, but she’s also intent on making a difference. “I love that Miss Sloane mentors women,” she says. “That’s the experience I’ve had—with women who take care of one another.”

The women she has brought to life still cross her mind. “Sometimes I think: I wonder what Celia Foote’s doing now. At the end of the movie, when you say goodbye to the character, you hope she’s in a better place than she was at the beginning, that she’s learned something and is going to be able to heal herself. It’s like a kid you’re sending out into the world,” she says, giving a little shove with her hands: “Good luck!” She would like to convene all those past selves she’s played for a reunion. Eleanor Rigby, who lost a son. Rachel Singer, the Mossad agent who hunts a Nazi war criminal. Jolene, the foster child who hitchhikes her way to a new life. Celia, Antonina, Maya, Miss Sloane, and now Antonina. They would all be there, trading stories and contact information, offering one another advice and a ride home.

Jessica Chastain’s Style Evolution As the Ultimate Red Carpet Chameleon

Humble beginnings: Chastain is the ultimate early aughts girl in tattered boot-cut jeans and stripped pastel tee.

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Attending a fashion week party in LA, Chastain looked cool and casual in a halter-neck black dress.

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Once again, Chastain keeps it simple at classic at the opening of Othello at B-Bar in NYC wearing a little black dress.

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Chastain at the Dior Haute Couture Spring 2009 show, this time in a ruffled strapless black gown.

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The actress arrived at the InStyle magazine Summer Soiree party, beginning to experiment with color in a printed dress.

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At the Somewhere premiere in Los Angeles, Chastain’s sartorial verve appears in this adventurous floral frock.

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Arriving at the GQ ‘Men of the Year’ party, Chastain chose a flirty red polka-dot cocktail dress and smoky eye makeup.

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Shown here in a structured, ivory frock for the Decades Denim launch party. When in doubt: belt it.

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In a flamingo-feathered pink cocktail dress for a Golden Globes party, with an emphasis on the statement pump.

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At a W Magazine party for the Golden Globes at a light blue dress and black strappy heel.

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For the I Am Number Four premiere in Los Angeles in a gathered, gold dress and matching heel.

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Jessica Chastain in Zac Posen at the Tree of Life premiere at the 64th annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France.

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A lady-like figure in a shocking pink frock and black pump for a Pre-Oscar party.

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At a Vanity Fair launch party in a dramatic Alexander McQueen peplum top and matching skirt.

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A gilded McQueen gown for the 84th Academy Awards, as a loose up-do completes the look.

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Arriving at the Calvin Klein Fall 2013 show in a chic coat and dress combo.

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A vision in glittering Givenchy Haute Couture at the premiere of All is Lost.

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Arriving at the 70th Annual Golden Globes in gorgeous celadon gown with plunging neckline.

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Chastain wore Armani Privé to the 85th annual Academy Awards in February 2013.

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The pockets on Chastain’s black velvet Alexander McQueen dress and the hue of her multi-colored pumps were just fun enough for a daytime photo call.

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Statuesque beauty in a custom Prada gown for the Interstellar premiere red carpet.

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Recalling Félix Vallotton’s 1924 painting Le Retour de la Mer in a beguiling Atelier Versace gown.

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Chastain poses on the red carpet for the European premiere of the film Interstellar in London wearing a dusty rose gown by Saint Laurent.

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Prim and pretty in an embellished Oscar de la Renta dress and gilded heel at the 40th Deauville American Film Festival.

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Chastain arrives at ‘China: Through The Looking Glass’ in golden Givenchy Couture gown for ultimate movie star glamour.

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In an Oscar de la Renta printed dress for the Jameson Empire Awards in London.

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Jessica Chastain in Givenchy at the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of The Martian in Toronto, Canada, September 2015.

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The lady is a vamp! In a dramatic, plunging gown by Versace at a Golden Globes party.

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Jessica Chastain in Elie Saab at the opening of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2015-2016 season in New York, New York, September 2015.

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Jessica Chastain in Givenchy at the 87th annual Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 2015.

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