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Jessica Chastain was told she was unattractive “every day at school”.
The Zero Dark Thirty star (37) is known for her red carpet glamour but insists she hasn’t always felt beautiful. The star reveals she was bullied “every day” as a child, and Jessica hopes to use her experience to inspire confidence in young women. "I was told every day at school that I was ugly. And that no one wanted to be my friend. The most cruel things," she told the US edition of Glamour magazine. "If I can do anything to help young girls and to be a cheerleader for people who sometimes have low self-esteem, I want to do that."
‘I was told every day at school that I was ugly. And that no one wanted to be my friend.’
Jessica catapulted to fame following roles in 2011 drama The Help, thriller Take Shelter and fantasy film The Tree of Life.
Although she found success later in life, the star is thankful she didn’t have to suffer the pitfalls of fame at a young age.
"I would have been a disaster. If I was 19 and I had the attention that I'm getting now, I would have just said stupid things," she insisted. "I would have partied more. All these expensive dinners and people giving me champagne? All these stupid things that we criticise 19-year-olds for doing when they're famous, I would have done."
Jessica is now focused on the future and supporting fellow females of all ages - particularly in her industry.
“I’m really, really supportive of women in Hollywood," she said, sharing her hope for more diversity on the big screen.
"I love Meryl Streep. She's such an incredible actress,” she gushed. “But I feel like she's the only one in her age group who gets those parts. I'd like to see Jessica Lange in a movie again, you know? Or Susan Sarandon. Why isn't Viola Davis a lead in a film? She's one of the greatest actresses alive. And where are the Asian actors and actresses? I'm not saying, ‘We don't want movies about men.' I'm just saying, ‘Come on, all the men I know love women. So let's also have some stories about these women. Let's write something for them, guys - and let's make room for women writers too.'"
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