The 17 Best Jessica Chastain Movies That Show Off Her Range
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Vote up the movies that best showcase Jessica Chastain's talents.
Jessica Chastain is one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed actresses, with so many amazing performances that it's hard to choose just one favorite. She made her film breakthrough in 2011, and has already received three Oscar nominations, winning one: best actress for The Eyes of Tammy Faye.
Critics and fans adore her for her powerhouse performances, ranging from nuanced roles to more out-there and eccentric characters. Chastain likes to do extensive research into her roles, especially the ones where she’s portraying a real-life person. Yet even for her fictional ones, she puts in the work, such as coming up with the story behind the character's past, even down to the clothes the person should wear. These are her best roles that showcase her range and ability as one of Hollywood’s leading actresses.
- 1100 VOTES
The Role: Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan (Emma Stone) wants to write a book telling the stories of Black maids in 1960s America after seeing how they’re mistreated by some of her childhood friends, most notably Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard). Chastain plays Celia Foote, a Mississippi woman who hires Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer) as a maid so Foote can learn how to cook for her husband. The two develop a friendship over time.
Why Jessica Shines: Chastain brings out Celia’s lovable and bubbly personality. Celia is looked down upon by her peers for being “white trash,” along with the fact that she is married to Hilly’s ex-boyfriend. She's hurt by the way she's perceived, but that doesn't stop her from trying to put on a smile every day. This makes the eventual revelations of her miscarriages all the more devastating. Chastain received her first Oscar nomination, for best supporting actress, for the role.
- 284 VOTESPhoto: Sony Pictures Releasing
The Role: Zero Dark Thirty is about one of the greatest hunts in American history: the search for Osama bin Laden. The film isn’t totally historically accurate, but it's still a riveting tale from start to finish. Chastain plays Maya Harris, a CIA operative who goes to Pakistan to assist in the hunt for bin Laden. In reality, Maya never existed; she’s a fictional character meant to represent many other CIA operatives who assisted in the killing of bin Laden.
Why Jessica Shines: Chastain, who received a best actress Oscar nomination for the role, is exceptional as an obsessed operative who spends a decade of her life trying to capture bin Laden. She’s fiery when she needs to be, yet it’s the quieter moments of Chastain’s performance that convey what this hunt does to her mental and physical well-being.
- 353 VOTESPhoto: The Weinstein Company
The Role: Lawless is about the three Bondurant brothers, three bootleggers during the Depression who must fight back against a corrupt district attorney and his violent special deputy. Chastain plays Maggie Beaufort, a city woman who’s looking for a fresh start and eventually starts working for head brother Forrest (Tom Hardy). Despite coming from two different worlds, Maggie and Forrest develop a romance.
Why Jessica Shines: In a film full of mostly men, Chastain holds her own as the headstrong Maggie. She may be from the city, but that doesn’t make this new setting any less dangerous than what she’s already experienced. She and Hardy also have excellent chemistry as two individuals who couldn’t be more different from each other.
- 437 VOTESPhoto: E1 Entertainment
The Role: In this film based on based on E.L. Doctorow's short story “Jolene: A Life,” Chastain plays the title character, a teenage orphan who marries 20-year-old Mickey (Zeberiah Newman), but ends up having an affair with Mickey’s Uncle Phil (Dermot Mulroney). The series of events following this incident leads Jolene on a journey of self-discovery.
Why Jessica Shines: This was Chastain’s film debut, and you can tell she was destined for great things. The film is definitely polarizing due to its subject matter, but some film critics praised Chastain's performance. Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times wrote that “Chastain digs deep. Surrendering to her character’s smoky voice-over and disastrous judgment, the actress finds pockets of soul in a role that’s part Jessica Rabbit, part Marilyn Monroe.”
- 524 VOTESPhoto: A24
The Role: The film takes place in 1981, known as one the most violent years in New York City’s recorded history. Chastain plays Anna Morales, wife of Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac), who owns a heating oil distribution company. The two must fight to protect their business and family in this violent year.
Why Jessica Shines: Chastain is known for going deep into her roles, including Anna. She’s a ruthless woman who cares deeply for her family and isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty if the situation calls for it. A Guardian review said Chastain “is terrific as the Lady Macbeth power behind the throne, chiding the authorities for being ‘very disrespectful’ while cooking the company books with fingernail-saving disdain.” Plus, her Brooklyn accent sounds realistic and not over-the-top or a caricature.
- 658 VOTESPhoto: Paramount Pictures
The Role: This sci-fi film directed by Christopher Nolan stars Matthew McConaughey as Cooper, a former NASA pilot tasked with exploring a wormhole to potentially find a new habitable planet for Earth, which is experiencing a mass famine, threatening the existence of human life. Cooper’s daughter, Murphy, is played by three different actresses throughout the film, with Chastain portraying the adult version.
Why Jessica Shines: Chastain has a brief but significant role as the adult version of Murphy. It’s hard not to discuss her performance without talking about the emotional gut punch of a scene where Cooper sees the recorded message of his daughter, now 23 years older because he has stayed on the planet Miller too long. Chastain brings everyone to tears with her monologue as she realizes she may never see her dad again, yet holds it together knowing the work he’s doing is important.
- 721 VOTESPhoto: Searchlight Pictures
The Role: Chastain stars as the real-life and controversial televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker. The film chronicles Tammy’s life, from her upbringing in the church to her eventual meeting with her husband Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield). Together, the two started the successful religious broadcast network The PTL Club. Unfortunately, scandals and problems within their marriage would bring their empire crashing down.
Why Jessica Shines: Playing Tammy Faye was a passion project for Chastain, and you can see it in this Oscar-winning performance. Chastain fully becomes Tammy in this role, from her eccentric personality to her mannerisms. Chastain wanted to let the world know who Tammy Faye really was, outside of how the media portrayed her. While she’s no doubt a flawed woman, she still had a ton of heart and genuinely cared about people, especially within the LGBTQ+ community.
- 824 VOTESPhoto: The Weinstein Company
The Role: This unique film is technically three films that make one. It follows the relationship of Conor Ludlow (James McAvoy) and Chastain’s Eleanor Rigby. One film, Him, is from Conor’s perspective; the second, Her, from Rigby’s; and the third, Them, is a straightforward look at their relationship together.
Why Jessica Shines: You’re either going to get behind this film's approach, or steer clear due to its collective long runtime (96 minutes for Him, 105 minutes for Her, 123 minutes for Them). Thankfully, the film rests solely on the skills of Chastain and McAvoy, who both give great performances. Chastain is fantastic as a damaged tragic individual.
- 934 VOTESPhoto: Universal Pictures
The Role: After a family tragedy, Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) marries a handsome but mysterious inventor, Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston). Edith then moves into Sharpe’s crumbling and possibly haunted family mansion, along with Sharpe’s sister, Lucille, played by Chastain.
Why Jessica Shines: Even in a film set in a haunted Gothic mansion, the scariest part of the film is Chastain’s unhinged portrayal of Lucille. She’s a simmering pot just ready to boil over at any moment. As a viewer, you’re constantly on edge as you’re unsure how she’s going to react, especially as she becomes weirdly jealous of her brother’s new wife.
- 1024 VOTESPhoto: Sony Pictures Classics
The Role: Take Shelter revolves around Curtis (Michael Shannon), a father and husband experiencing visions and dreams of an impending apocalyptic storm. Chastain plays Curtis’s wife, Samantha, who is forced to deal with his ever-growing paranoia.
Why Jessica Shines: Despite the frustrations she’s facing with Curtis, Samantha consistently shows that, no matter what, she loves and cares deeply for her husband. That still doesn’t make it any less difficult, though. Chastain does a great job portraying the sadness and fear Samantha experiences because she just wants to help her husband. She’s the glue holding this family together, despite Curtis’s actions continually pulling it apart.
- 1125 VOTESPhoto: Anchor Bay Films
The Role: Texas Killing Fields is about two detectives, Mike Souder and Brien Heigh, tracking down a serial killer who’s been dumping bodies in the nearby mash, dubbed “The Killing Fields.” Jessica Chastain plays Detective Pam Stall, who calls the two detectives after a local girl goes missing.
Why Jessica Shines: While not one of her most notable roles, Chastain still delivers in this gritty detective drama, where she has to work with her ex-husband to help find this missing girl.
- 1234 VOTESPhoto: Fox Searchlight Pictures
The Role: The Tree Of Life follows Jack O’Brien (Sean Penn) through childhood. His tough-loving father (Brad Pitt) tries to prepare his children for the hostile world they’ll grow into, and his mother, played by Chastain, just wants to find beauty and love in the world.
Why Jessica Shines: Chastain proves it isn’t just loud emotional moments of anger or sadness that lead to great acting. Sometimes, it’s the subtle, calm moments in an actor that can tell the whole story. Chastain does so in strides in this existential drama. Her eyes, demeanor, and facial expressions say so much without her saying a word.
- 1320 VOTES
It Chapter Two
Photo: Warner Bros. PicturesThe Role: After the events of the 2017 film It, adapted from Stephen King's novel, the Losers Club members make a promise to come back if the evil entity ever returns. Twenty-seven years later, they aim to fulfill that promise when the killings start again. Chastain plays the adult version of Beverly Marsh, one of the seven club members who return to their hometown determined to take down Pennywise the Clown for good.
Why Jessica Shines: It Chapter Two might be a divisive sequel, but the one thing nearly everyone could agree on was how perfectly cast the adult actors were, including Chastain as Beverly. She might not want to confront her traumatic past, but Chastain shows how resilient Beverly has become over the last decades.
- 1434 VOTESPhoto: Universal Pictures
The Role: Mama is about two young girls who were left abandoned in the woods after their father attempts a murder-suicide of his family. The girls are found five years later and their Uncle Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) takes them in, along with his girlfriend, Annabel, played by Chastain.
Why Jessica Shines: Annabel initially doesn’t want anything to do with kids, based on the first scene where she’s so relieved not to be pregnant. She’s hesitant, but knows how important it is to Lucas that they take in his nieces. Chastain empathetically portrays how Annabel grows to care deeply for the two girls, even if they don't make it easy for her. She goes from not caring much for kids to doing whatever she can to protect them when the evil entity attacks.
- 155 VOTES
Molly's Game
Photo: SDX EntertainmentThe Role: In this film based on real-life author Molly Bloom's memoir, Chastain plays Bloom, a mogul skier who’s on track to make the Olympics. Sadly, those dreams are cut short due to an injury, which leads to her eventually starting her own underground poker game for celebrities. The deeper she gets into the venture, the more attention she receives from less desirable individuals such as members of the Russian and Italian mafias, which leads the FBI to get involved.
Why Jessica Shines: Aaron Sorkin wrote and directed Molly’s Game, so every character sounds intelligent as they read his fast-paced script, Chastain included. Hearing her narrate the ins and outs of running an underground poker game is intoxicating all the way through. Matt Brunson of Film Frenzy wrote that “Chastain delivers a typically brainy and impassioned performance, with Idris Elba offering solid support as the lawyer who elects to take her case.”
- 161 VOTES
The Role: Chastain stars as Elizabeth Sloane, a cunning lobbyist in Washington, DC, whose firm is approached by Bill Sanford, a gun-manufacturing representative aiming to fight a new bill expanding background checks. Sloane instead chooses to work for the side in support of the bill, and because of her techniques is eventually called before a congressional hearing to answer questions regarding her ethics as a lobbyist.
Why Jessica Shines: Chastain carries the film; when she enters a room, she immediately commands your attention. She perfectly captures just how on edge Sloane’s character is 24/7, barely sleeping and constantly taking pills. It’s a great balancing act of making her slightly unlikable, yet still sympathetic enough to keep watching.
- 170 VOTES
Woman Walks Ahead
Photo: A24The Role: Woman Walks Ahead is loosely based on the true story of Catherine Weldon, played by Chastain, a Brooklyn painter who comes to the Dakotas in 1890 to paint a portrait of Sitting Bull (Michael Greyeyes). The two develop a bond, and she gets involved with the Lakota people and their mission to defend their land.
Why Jessica Shines: In a well-intentioned performance, Chastain starts off a bit naive, but ultimately becomes a strong-willed individual who cares deeply for the Native people. The film rests on the strong chemistry between Chastain and Greyeyes.
