Are they worthy of the accolades or should they be sent down...
The Accused:
JESSICA CHASTAIN
Chastain got into the business through a few television roles before getting her first break starring alongside the great Helen Mirren in The Debt. Of course they never shared any screen time together as Chastain was playing the younger version of Mirren's character Rachel Singer in this film. It is fair to say that this is when people started to take notice.
Her next outing was in the underrated gem Take Shelter where she plays the wife of Michael Shannon. The movie garnered a number of nominations in the Saturn Awards, including one for Chastain. Incidentally the director Jeff Nichols is certainly one to watch, having made the equally enjoyable: Mud.
It would be fair to say that 2011 was a big year as Chastain appeared in no less than five big screen releases. The Help would have to be classed as the biggest out of these movies; although fans of The Tree of Life from Terrence Malick might disagree. I am not a fan of Mr Malick so I will nominate The Help instead.
Portraying Celia Rae Foote gives Chastain the first opportunity to really show her acting chops. At first I didn't even recognise that it was her playing this person. She is so good at embodying this introverted lady who befriends her maid. This would also lead to her first Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress.
Roles would start to flow for her now and not just from one genre. I think that her portrayal in The Help really showed people what she was capable of as an actor. She definitely hasn't been typecast; which is the bane of many good actors who have a breakout role that starts to get them recognition.
In Lawless she plays Maggie Beauford, a waitress for the bootlegger Bondurant brothers. Whilst I don't consider it a great movie, it is entertaining and Chastain is still eye catching in it. Tackling a new genre altogether; Chastain played the surrogate mother to the two feral children in the horror/thriller: Mama. She brings a lot of heart and soul to this successful film, which helps elevate it from your average run of the mill thriller.
The real life events taking place while Zero Dark Thirty was in production meant a few rewrites to the ending, allowing for what happened with the pursuit of Osama Bin Laden. This in turn contributed to the success of the movie upon release. Probably more than any of her other films, this one relies totally upon her powerhouse performance as Maya; the CIA analyst who's driving desire is to see Bin Laden pay for his crimes.
She was again nominated for an Academy Award and won the Golden Globe for playing this character. Needless to say she is excellent here; standing out in what could easily have become a boy's movie considering that she is one of only a few female cast members. Hers is the central character and she handles it with much aplomb.
I have already covered Crimson Peak in detail; saying how much I enjoyed her scene chewing evil matriarch. I also mentioned my thoughts about Chastain in A Most Violent Year when Isaac was in the Dock. She has starred in two huge science fiction movies: Interstellar and The Martian. Hands down The Martian is the better of the two films.
In Interstellar Chastain plays Murph, the daughter of Matthew McConaughey's Joseph Cooper. She is very good as the abandoned daughter looking for answers. It is just a pity that the film overall was a bit of a disappointment. I love the visuals but the script has so many flaws, I just felt let down by it all.
On the other hand The Martian is a great adaptation and Chastain again proves worthwhile as mission commander Lewis. You get a true sense of the turmoil her character is feeling at leaving a crew member behind. She is able to do a lot with the limited screen time she gets, considering much of the films focus is on Matt Damon's Mark Watney.
Jessica Chastain is probably one of the most versatile female actors around. Reading up on the depth of research she does in preparing for each role it does not surprise me. She wants to inhabit each character and I think it comes across well on the screen.
At the moment you can see her in The Huntsman: Winter's War. This is a film that was on a hiding to nothing as it really is an unwanted sequel by everyone except for the studio. They are thinking of the dollars they can make from it. She isn't the only A-List actor appearing so hopefully the cast make it entertaining enough so it doesn't end up on trial! I haven't seen it as of yet, though I probably will so let's wait and see how it fares...
On the horizon she has Molly's Game with Aaron Sorkin directing and Idris Elba co-starring. That pairing intrigues me. There are also a few biographic films on her upcoming slate; along with a couple of drama's dealing with some heavy themes and topics. She is definitely an actor in high demand.
Jessica Chastain should be allowed to continue to produce the stellar work she has so far, there is no need to abandon this lady on some lonely planet.
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