Jessica Chastain Wins Best Actress at the 94th Academy Awards
The third time’s the charm. After three Academy Award nominations, Jessica Chastain walked away with her first Oscar, winning Best Actress for her role as televangelist Tammy Faye.
Congratulations are in order for Jessica Chastain, who won her first Academy Award for her performance in the Michael Showalter-directed film, The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Chastain beat out Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter), Penelope Cruz (Parallel Mothers), Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos), and Kristen Stewart (Spencer).
The film’s synopsis reads: “The Eyes of Tammy Faye is an intimate look at the extraordinary rise, fall, and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker. In the 1970s and 80s, Tammy Faye and her husband, Jim Bakker, rose from humble beginnings to create the world’s largest religious broadcasting network and theme park and were revered for their message of love, acceptance, and prosperity. Tammy Faye was legendary for her indelible eyelashes, her idiosyncratic singing, and her eagerness to embrace people from all walks of life. However, it wasn’t long before financial improprieties, scheming rivals, and scandal toppled their carefully constructed empire.”
Chastain accepted her award in a shimmering ombré Gucci gown. She used her time on stage to focus on suicide prevention, particularly in the LGBTQ community. She also shed light on feelings of hopelessness and encouraged those to have compassion and lead with love, much like the radical Tammy Faye. She reveals, “It’s touched many families. It’s touched mine and especially members of the LGBTQ community…we’re faced with discriminatory and bigoted legislation that is sweeping our country with the only goal of further dividing us. There’s violence and hate crimes…in times like this, I think of Tammy and I’m inspired by her radical acts of love.”
In an Instagram post, Chastain shared her reason for making this transformative film. Tammy Faye Bakker interviewed AIDS activist Steve Pieters in 1985 on the PTL show, Tammy’s House Party. Chastain called this emotional interview “revolutionary for the discussion about AIDS and homosexuality.”
The actress also thanked her co-star and tv-husband, Andrew Garfield, for being such a brilliant actor. Additionally, Chastain won the SAG Award for her role as Tammy Faye this awards season.
Congratulations to Jessica Chastain on a well-deserved Academy Award. The Eyes of Tammy Faye is available to stream on HBO Max.
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