Jessica Chastain’s Grandma Is the Best Red-Carpet Date Anyone Could Ask For
Not only do grandmothers make the best friends, they make the best red-carpet dates too.
A Hollywood force like Jessica Chastain attends countless events, from film premieres and awards ceremonies to fashion shows. That routine could get boring with the wrong date. Luckily, Chastain often brings a very special plus-one to these gatherings: her grandmother.
Chastain’s grandma, Marilyn Herst, frequently pops up around the globe with the actress. She showed up for her granddaughter at the Australian premiere for Molly’s Game, walked the red carpet with the actress at the 2013 Academy Awards, and most recently took a trip with her to Paris, where the two attended a very over-the-top, luxurious dinner presentation. These excursions were, of course, documented on social media—by both Chastain and Herst herself.
Herst can be found on Instagram at the handle @motorcyclegramma, and her presence on the app is a complete delight. Despite the fact that she has only shared 16 posts of her own, her handle alone indicates that she’s a force to be reckoned with. One can only assume, especially given the snap of Herst taken by Chastain that refers to her an “adrenaline junkie,” it won’t be long before she shares the tale behind her username, and reveals whether or not she has a motorcycle of her own.
Chastain’s grandma isn’t just the baking cookies–and–babysitting type—she’s always ready to go on a whirlwind adventure with her granddaughter. Years ago, when Chastain first moved to Los Angeles, she lived with her grandmother, whom she calls “one of my best friends in the world,” and some controlled chaos ensued. The actress admitted to setting up a dating profile for her grandma (she remains single), and when Herst’s dog, Livvy, was reportedly stolen, Chastain posted about her on Instagram, and fans tracked the pup down.
A photograph of Herst meeting her number one crush, Chastain’s Interstellar costar Matthew McConaughey, was posted by Chastain and garnered plenty of attention online (the actress had previously explained to audiences on Conan that her grandmother flirted with McConaughey, and before that she had framed a photo of herself with Chastain’s Salomé costar Al Pacino). Herst proves that grandmothers do make the best friends—they often show up, shower their grandkids with support, and occasionally document their trips around the globe on Instagram, and Chastain’s grandma is no exception. They even make the best dates to the red carpet (better than moms, dads, siblings, and publicists, anyway).
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