Both as a vocal proponent of ‘’Timer’s Up’’ movement and a producer, Jessica Chastain has become a powerful voice which demands change in Hollywood.
The social awareness of Jessica Chastain became widely known in a tweet she sent in October. She sent that to actress Asia Argento after the latter had tweeted a list of 82 women – including herself – who accused Harvey Weinstein of sexually assaulting/raping/molesting them.
Chastain replied, “There are more women than this. They are afraid. #ibelieveyou.”
Then, as the world fell apart for Harvey Weinstein, Chastain became one of the most-famous proponents for Time’s Up movement, as she became a part of its Legal Defense Fund.
The group, which has raised $21.7 million till date, was also at the center of attention during the 2018 Golden Globes as a lion’s share of celebrities wore black to criticize Hollywood’s sexual harassment problem.
These acts of feminism have raised the stature of Chastain, far beyond her $1 billion collections at the Box Office and even the two Oscar nominations that she received. She built on her previous work for feminism by co-founding Freckle Films, a production house which commits to equally paying.
What’s more, apart from founding the project, it was the idea of Chastain which CAA followed to orchestrate an Equal-Pay deal.
She has also been a part of the team which did research to convince producers that women-led ensemble wins outperform their male-led counterparts.
In addition to her behind-the-scenes work, Chastain is also working on it to promote Gender equality. Take, for instance, her new film ‘’Woman Walks Ahead’’, which is released in limited theatres June 29.
The film revolves around a real-life portrait artist who traveled all the way to Dakota Territory to paint a Sitting Bull.
Despite the fact that she received less than $1 million for the role – and the film had a $5 million budget – Chastain says that one of the reasons she made the film was to remember the ‘’forgotten women in history.
Therefore, regardless of where you look – whether you look at her recent on-screen roles where she is eulogizing forgotten women or her off-screen works where she is playing her part in raising millions for the weak segments of our society – Jessica Chastain is making a difference.
