It is perhaps unfair to characterize someone who’s very recently been on the receiving end of an Academy Award nomination as just now having a moment, but, hey, let’s consider this the latest in a series of moments Jessica Chastain has been having continuously.
She may have been struck from the running as one of the leads of the second season of HBO’s “True Detective” almost as soon as the rumor sprung up, but the fact is that Chastain has a reputation as the kind of actress people would be happy to see front and center in the super-serious show.
(After all, Matthew McConaughey, one of season one’s leads, didn’t have such a terrible 2013 in film. Alright, alright, alright, Oscar. And Golden Globe. And SAG Award. And Independent Spirit Award.)
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Even if she isn’t on our screens solving crimes in one of the best-shot shows ever, Chastain is killing it. Reports coming out of the Cannes Film Festival, which continues through this week, all lead to one conclusion: Girl is owning.
Chastain is a lead in The Weinstein Company’s “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby,” a performance that reportedly has Harvey Weinstein seeing little Oscars dancing in the corners of his field of vision.
The movie got a 10-minute standing ovation, which is not a real thing that happens. Except it did.
Yes, start putting your money down on Chastain for a third Oscar nod (she had back to back honors for “The Help” and for being the mothereffer in “Zero Dark 30″ in 2012 and 2013, respectively) at next year’s ceremony.
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It’ll certainly be interesting to see which of the trio of films — “Eleanor Rigby” is actually made up of “Them,” to be released Sept.26, and “Him” and “Her,” to be released about six weeks later — is considered the honoree, or if the three can be considered as one.
But like we said, this isn’t the first time the star has had a “moment.” Chastain’s been under the radar for years, starting with bit parts in TV on shows like “Veronica Mars,” “E.R.” and “Law and Order: Trial By Jury.” She didn’t break out on the big screen until 2011, the year she appeared not only in “The Help,” earning an Oscar nomination, but also “Take Shelter” and “Tree of Life.” Not a terrible year for someone who had previously been a no-name.
To her credit, and also perhaps to her detriment, is that Chastain just seems genuinely nice. Unlike many aloof living legends of lore, she seems approachable.
This is, of course, going off her Facebook presence, which she seems to run personally, posting snapshots and signing every update “xojes.”
Here’s Jessica Chastain holding about a billion white long-stemmed roses, sent, of course, by Donatella Versace after Chastain wore the designer’s dress at Cannes.
And then there’s also Chastain sharing a selfie with her mom, hashtagging it “#love.”
There are no stories of gaffes or feuds involving Chastain. She’s inoffensive, talented and likable.
The question is, will her aura of friendliness and kindness work against her when it comes to prestige and recognition? After all, she’s not goofy like awards darling Jennifer Lawrence, and she’s not regal like newcomer Lupita Nyong’o. There’s not a lot of attention paid to those stars, no matter how talented, whose public persona simply exudes niceness. Could her general goodwill work against her when it comes to recognition for her work?
We certainly hope not, because the Jessica Chastain moment is one we want to last for a long, long time. As the acting notices continue to roll in, let’s make this the Year Of Chastain, officially. Give this girl an Oscar.
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