“When I was here 14 years ago, I was so scared and so nervous and wondering if people would like me, or if I’d get thrown out of the industry, and now I’m just kind of like, I’m just going to do what I want, and maybe I’ll make people mad, and maybe it’s great if I make people mad, my characters do anyway.
On female roles in the industry, she added: “For years, I’ve advocated for really complex female roles, because for years, especially in the United States, female characters really were just like the supporting wife or, almost like a martyr or a saint.
“I feel like I have a lot of, I don’t want to say control, but I do feel like I have agency in the stories that I choose to tell and I don’t feel like I need to please anyone.
Chastain, 47, stars in the forthcoming drama Dreams, about a young ballet dancer from Mexico, played by Isaac Hernandez, who narrowly escapes death while crossing the border to be with his lover Jennifer, played by Chastain.
“And I’ve kind of made it my desire to play characters who make a lot of mistakes, make a lot of missteps.
