The Best of Jessica Chastain

by Helen Earnshaw | 15 May 2015

Jessica Chastain is one of the most exciting and most versatile actresses working in Hollywood at the moment as she moves from dramatic projects to big budget blockbusters with ease and already has two Oscar nominations under her belt.

A Most Violent Year

Chastain is one our favourites here at FemaleFirst and we have already enjoyed her performance in A Most Violent Year in 2015 - a movie that saw her team up with actor Oscar Isaac.

A Most Violent Year is about to be released on DVD & Blu-Ray and to celebrate we are going to take a look at some of Chastain's best movies and performances so far... and there is already plenty to choose from.

- A Most Violent Year (2015)

A Most Violent Year marked the return of J.C. Chandor to the director's chair in what was his first film since All Is Lost. The movie also marked the first time that he has teamed up with both Chastain and Isaac.

At a time when New York City is experiencing a spike in criminal activity, small businessman Abel Morales (Isaac) fights to make himself a living, support his wife Anna (Chastain) and protect his interests. Always looking for a way to expand his business, Abel nevertheless strives to keep things honest and to do things by the book. However, when he becomes the target of opportunistic thieves, he takes matters into his own hands to track down those responsible. But, in doing so, he also attracts the attention of the Assistant District Attorney (David Oyelowo) who takes an unwelcome interest in Abel's business practices...

A Most Violent Year may be a little slow paced for some; I actually found it to be quite a gripping drama that is not at all what I was expecting. This is not your average crime drama - Chandor has produced an intelligent script with two well-rounded characters and its core - brought to life beautifully by Chastain and Isaac.

Chastain really is terrific from start to finish - she is a woman who is not afraid to stand up for her man and her family - she really is not a woman to be missed with.

Chastain and Isaac are dynamite together and there really are some tense conversations between husband and wife that jump off the screen. I really would like to see this pair of actors work together again in the future.

A Most Violent Year was met with critical acclaim upon release and Chastain went on to pick up a Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe nomination for her performance.

- Interstellar (2014)

Interstellar is one of the biggest movies that we have seen Chastain star in as she teamed up with Christopher Nolan for the first time last year.

Interstellar was one of the most talked about movies of last year and saw Chastain part of a terrific ensemble cast that included Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Casey Affleck, and Michael Caine,

Humans are facing extinction, when a mysterious rip in the space-time continuum is discovered, potentially giving mankind a chance at survival. Explorers including Cooper (McConaughey) and Brand (Hathaway) undertake a mission beyond the solar system in a last ditch attempt to find a planet that can sustain life. Chastain plays Cooper's daughter Murph, who remains on earth and works with Professor Brand (Caine) to try and discover an equation which could help save humanity.

Interstellar was another thrilling ride from Nolan as he delivered a film that looked fantastic - it really was one of the most beautiful looking movies of 2014 - and was packed with great characters and interesting relationships.

This is very much an ensemble piece but Chastain shines in the role of Murph, a young woman who has struggled growing up without a father but is battling with NASA to help solve some of earth's problems. She really does capture the vulnerability and the strength of this character so well.

Interstellar went on to be a huge box-office success and picked up five Oscar nominations - it scooped on for Best Visual Effects.

- Zero Dark Thirty (2013)

Zero Dark Thirty remains one of my favourite performances from Chastain and really did help cement her as a major acting force as a leading lady. We had seen in her a series of great supporting performances by the time Zero Dark Thirty hit the big screen, but this was one of the biggest roles of her career.

Zero Dark Thirty saw Kathryn Bigelow back in the director's chair, while Mark Boal was also on board the project to pen the screenplay. Chastain was joined on the cast list by Joel Edgerton, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, and Jennifer Ehle.

Zero Dark Thirty chronicled the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and his subsequent death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L.s Team 6 in 2011. Chastain starred as CIA operative Maya, whose dogged pursuit of Bin Laden continues for several years, until finally in 2011, it appears her work may finally pay off. A U.S. Navy SEAL team is dispatched to kill or capture Bin Laden- but Maya's confidence in the location of their target is challenged by her colleagues, and no one but she believes with absolute certainty that Bin Laden is where she thinks he is.

Even though we all know what happened to Osama Bin Laden in 2011, this doesn't make Zero Dark Thirty a less gripping, intriguing, and edge of your seat movie. What I liked so much about The Hurt Locker is that Bigelow never tried to tell you how you should feel about the war on terror - she does exactly the same with Zero Dark Thirty. This is not a movie about how great the Americans are, it just tells a suspenseful story about the hunt for the world's most wanted man.

Chastain gives a knockout central performance as Maya, a woman with steely determination to see the job through. Even though there are wavering moments of doubt, the strength of this central character shines through. Chastian would receive her first Best Actress Oscar nomination for her performance.

In all, Zero Dark Thirty was nominated for five Oscars - including Best Picture - and walked away with Best Sound Editing.

- The Tree of Life (2011)

I have been a fan of Terrence Malick for many years and he returned to the director's chair in 2011 with The Tree of Life - he also penned the screenplay as well as being at the helm.

The Tree of Life marked the first time that Chastain had worked with the filmmaker as she starred alongside Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, and Hunter McCracken.

The Tree of Life is another terrific philosophical movie from Malick that is rich in emotion, pain, and joy. This is a movie about human experiences and how we are profoundly affected and influenced by the people in our lives. It is one of those films that you will be left thinking about long after the credits have rolled.

This is a complex and interesting movie that is a masterpiece when it comes to storytelling - it really with grip and captivate from beginning to end.

Chastain gives an ethereal performance as Jack's mother - the complete opposite to his violent father. It is a touching performance from Chastain as she lets her children out into the world, to experience it and find their own path.

The Tree of Life may be a supporting role for Chastain, but she is a real force in every scene that she is in. It really is another terrific performance from the actress.

- The Help (2011)

Chastain's breakthrough performance came in 2011 when she starred in The Help, which was a big screen adaptation of the novel of the same name by Kathryn Stockett and saw Tate Taylor in the director's chair.

Again, this was a supporting role for Chastain, but she gives such a wonderful, comic, and heartbreaking performance alongside Emma Stone, Viola Davis, and Octavia Spencer.

The Help recounts the trials and tribulations of the African American maids in a tight-knit community, including Aibileen Clark (Davis) and Minny Jackson (Spencer). Initially reluctant, they eventually agree to recount their experiences to aspiring writer Skeeter Phelan (Stone) for her book on the lives of maids. Meanwhile, Minny is forced to take a job with a newly settled married couple- one half of which is the kind-hearted but calamitous Celia Foote, played by an utterly charming and scene-stealing Chastain.

For me, The Help was one of the best movies to hit the big screen back in 2011 as Taylor found the perfect balance between humour, emotion, and total heartbreak - you cannot help but be swept away in the story and the struggle.

The female cast are on top form with Davis, Spencer, and Chastain delivering the most memorable performances. Chastain is just wonderful as Celia, a woman who is trying to hide her miscarriages from her husband and fit into a society where people look down her nose at her.

Chastain provides some of the films funniest and heartbreaking moments as Celia gone on one of the biggest and most interesting journeys in the film.

Chastain picked up her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress - she lost out to co-star Octavia Spencer.