Jessica Chastain has criticised a “shady and clickbait headline” for missing the “interesting part” about her shopping spree for her latest movie, Memory.
The Oscar-winning actor, 46, leads director Michael Franco’s drama as Sylvia, a “social worker who leads a simple and structured life”.
In a new interview with IndieWire, Chastain discussed what it was like working on the movie without a makeup team or trailer.
“I’m not doing a movie to be pampered. If I want to be pampered, I’ll go to a spa. I’m doing a film to work and to be creative, and I don’t need to sit by myself in a trailer,” she said.
Chastain recalled being “in Nashville at the time” and going to Target to shop for her own costumes.
“We were moving quickly. I think I spent like $130 and I brought it back, and we did a fitting. Michel told me that our cinematographer Yves [Cape] goes, ‘She still looks too chic!’” the actor remembered.
“There was a lot of let’s try and just scrub Jessica of any kind of movie star feeling that we can, which also I appreciated. I appreciated that I was doing my own hair every day. It was fun.”
Jessica Chastain— (Getty Images)
Following the exclusive, The Los Angeles Times published an article titled: “Jessica Chastain shopped at Target to get into character as a normal person ‘who leads a simple life’ for her new movie.”
Within hours, The Eyes of Tammy Faye star tweeted the latter publication’s article, calling out its “shady and click bait headline”.
“The interesting part wasn’t that I shopped at Target (I do it all the time – best holiday decorations and school supplies) it was that I got to get into character by shopping for my own costumes. That’s the not normal part,” Chastain wrote.
The Independent has contacted the LA Times for comment.
Memory made its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival last week. During the press conference for the film, Chastain, who was in attendance amid the ongoing actors’ and writers’ strike, gave an impassioned speech to explain her presence.
“I was very nervous about coming,” Chastain said, revealing that “there were actually some people on my team who advised me against it”.
Wearing a “SAG-AFTRA on strike” t-shirt, in support of Hollywood’s current industry-wide shutdown, she said: “I am here because SAG-AFTRA has been explicitly clear that the way to support the strike is to post on social media, walk the picket line and to work and support interim agreement projects.”
“It’s what our national board, negotiating committee and our elected leadership has asked us to do,” Chastain added.
Memory is among several movies and TV shows deemed “truly independent” that were granted interim agreements by the actors’ guild.
