Why Jessica Chastain Was Labeled As A Diva In Hollywood

Jessica Chastain has transformed over the years from an aspiring actress to one of Hollywood's most accomplished stars. Her career achieved even greater heights after winning a Best Actress Oscar for the 2021 movie "The Eyes of Tammy Faye," and although securing the coveted prize may be life-changing for certain celebrities, there were rumors that Chastain's victory had negative side effects on the star. Those rumors reached the set of her movie "Memory," in which she worked with director Michel Franco.

Before he cast Chastain in the 2023 picture, Franco was warned to stay away from her. "Michel said that a lot of people told him, 'Oh Jessica is going to leave your film because she just won an Oscar,'" Chastain recalled to IndieWire. Fortunately, Franco didn't listen to the rumors, and his experience with Chastain couldn't have been more pleasant. "She's the opposite. She's going to show up satisfied, happy, and be productive," the director said.

Incidentally, Chastain has commented on the possibility of being a diva before. Years earlier, Chastain seemed almost ashamed to admit that she'd gotten herself a personal assistant, a choice she considered diva-like. She asserted, however, that even this decision was for a good reason. "It's just so that I don't have to go to sleep worrying about everything because I know that she's in charge of the schedule," she told The Telegraph about her assistant.

Although she has had out-of-touch moments, Jessica Chastain seemed to have the exact opposite attitude of a Hollywood diva. Instead, Chastain, considers herself a very reserved personality. "I'm actually normally a very awkward girl and kind of shy and I'm not very social and so much has been going on," she told The Irish News. However, when it comes to issues that matter, Chastain's voice can be as loud as any diva's in a room. She's spent much of her time in Hollywood championing equal pay for women, not just in the film industry, but in the workforce in general. 

After Sony producer Amy Pascal told Chastain that "the reason women get paid less is because they don't ask for more," it clicked for the actress what she needed to do to help change Hollywood for the better. "Because of that I now feel it's my responsibility not to be arrogant, but to claim my space in the world. I think all women need to learn that," she said. She's taken her own personal steps to close that gap, like when she famously helped pal Octavia Spencer earn a higher salary on their movie "The Help." For Spencer, Chastain proved she was everything the "Dark Phoenix" star said she was, and perhaps more. "Jessica Chastain believes," Spencer gushed to The Sundance Film Festival (via Variety). "She is walking the walk."