Jessica Chastain had "really bad self-esteem" because of her red hair.
Jessica Chastain
The 39-year-old actress is known for her fiery locks, but she wasn't always as confident about her appearance and was desperate to dye her hair blonde to fit in with her group of friends.
She said: "I didn't like looking different. Being a redhead, you can't fit into the group. I wanted to be blonde so bad. I had really bad self-esteem and I asked my mum if I could dye my hair but she wouldn't let me."
As the 'Zero Dark Thirty' star - who owns production company Freckle Films, which is named after her signature looks - got older, she started to own her look and says she now "celebrates" her differences.
She added: "I called my company Freckle Films because it was something I used to hate about myself. But I want to make movies about our differences as a society so that's why I called it that.
"Now, I celebrate it. I look at myself now and I look at myself when I left college. I still feel awkward at times, but then I'm sure I probably auditioned terribly because I had such fear and doubt about myself. Not anymore."
Jessica admits that much of her body confidence these days comes from switching to a vegan lifestyle.
She said: "So much comes down to the food you eat and I eat a very clean diet. Being vegan has made a huge difference in my life."
And although 'The Martian' actress is confident with the way she looks now, she says she wouldn't be opposed to surgical alterations when she's older.
When asked if she'd ever consider plastic surgery, the beauty told Net-A-Porter's The Edit magazine: "Who knows? When I'm 50 or 60, I might. Some people think I've had a nose job. I've never had anything like that done, but I have no judgement of anyone that does."
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