In "Memory", directed by Mexican director Michel Franco, Chastain plays Sylvia, a single woman with a teenage daughter. Sylvia has a good relationship with her sister but not with her mother.
I felt a sense of sisterhood with Sylvia. I get emotionally affected even now, I feel how she grows within me.
Gets stalked
At a high school reunion, Sylvia meets Saul (Peter Sarsgaard), a man who starts following her. Who is he, is he one of those who once assaulted her? It turns out that Saul is demented, but eventually, the two start helping each other to remember.
We all know women who have been victims of sexual abuse, we've heard terrible stories. I created Sylvia's memories, but then I tried not to think about them during filming, says Jessica Chastain.
"Memory", which had its world premiere at last year's Venice Festival, is a low-key low-budget film. Chastain tells how the clothes she wore in the film were the kind she herself bought at a discount store, how she did her own hair, and how the actors didn't have comfortable trailers to take breaks in.
I like this, but it feels like I don't often get offered such roles, that directors think "it's a small film and she'll probably want too much pay".
"Love conquers darkness"
When choosing a role, she tries to avoid clichés, the most important thing is who will direct and that it will be about good female roles.
And I like stories where love conquers darkness. I believe in the goodness of people. Every day I wake up and feel happy and wonder what the day will bring.
She is known as a feminist activist, something that is rooted in early experiences.
A lot happened in my childhood that shaped me as a person. I support everyone who is mistreated. And it's not something I've learned, it's the person I became.
After "Memory", Jessica Chastain and Michel Franco have collaborated on another film, "Dreams", which has not yet had its premiere.
We have the same taste. He inspires me to be creative, he gives me strength, and he makes me feel protected and safe.
Age: 47 years.
Family: Husband Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo, two children.
Lives: In New York.
Occupation: Actress.
Previous films in selection: "Take shelter", "The tree of life", "Niceville", "Lawless", "Zero dark thirty", "Interstellar", "A most violent year", "The Martian", "It: Chapter 2", "Scenes from a marriage", "The eyes of Tammy Faye", "The good nurse".
Currently in: "Memory" which has its Swedish cinema premiere on 23/8.
