Jessica Chastain was told to stop liking people and smile so much when she studied at the Juilliard Performing Arts School.
The Zero Dark Thirty actress was awarded a Robin Williams-funded scholarship to attend New York’s prestigious art school in the early 2000s. During her freshman year, Chastain experienced constant anxiety about being expelled, particularly as students who failed to perform at a certain level were placed on probation.
Chastain revealed that she regularly attended conferences with her mentors where they told her what was “wrong” with her — and wanted people to like her less.
“I was told in my freshman year that I had to stop trying to please everyone,” she recalled to The Guardian. “I was told, ‘You smile too much. That’s your crutch. When you act, you smile too much, you try to be charming.’ Isn’t that interesting? I think it’s a female thing. Even my voice was higher, it was like standing up here not to be intimidating. It’s so different now.
“They almost want you – sorry, I’m going to swear for a second – but they almost want you to not give a fuck. Because then you are free.”
The Oscar-winning star graduated from the Juilliard School in 2003, and after years of only making guest appearances on TV shows, she finally became a movie star in 2011, when she appeared in six films, including The Help and The Tree of Life.
Looking back, Chastain is glad she got her big break in her mid-30s.
“I’ve been watching the industry for a long time. Getting successful later means that I studied her, especially what they do with actresses, and I didn’t want them to do that with me,” she explained.