Jessica Chastain is officially an Academy Award winner. At Sunday night's Oscars 2022 ceremony, Chastain picked up the best-actress statuette for her performance in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, in which she portrayed the titular televangelist, Tammy Faye Bakker.
In his speech, he thanked director Michael Showalter, costar Andrew Garfield and the film's hair and makeup team, who won an Oscar himself, for turning Chastain into Bakker. Then it took a serious turn, noting how we as a culture are "coming out of some tough times that have been filled with a lot of trauma and isolation."
"Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States," Chastain continued. “It has touched many families. It has touched me, and especially members of the LGBTQ community…. We are facing discriminatory and draconian legislation that continues to pervade our country with the sole goal of further dividing us There are violence and hate crimes…. In times like these, I think of Tammy and I am inspired by her radical acts of love.”
"For any of you who feel really disappointed or lonely, I just want you to know that you are loved unconditionally for the uniqueness that you are," she said, closing her speech.
Chastain won in a stacked category that included Kristen Stewart (Spencer), Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos), Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter) and Penelope Cruz (Parallel Mothers). Chastain was a late success in the race for this awards season, winning a Screen Actors Guild Award and then a Critics' Choice Award only to move on in the past few weeks. Her forward jump is another reminder that anything is possible in this year's unpredictable race, which has seen the contenders swing in and out of favor over the course of a long season.
Previously, Kidman and Stewart were considered the favorites to win the statue. That changed over the course of the season, with Cruz quickly into the game thanks to his bustling turn in Pedro Almodovar's latest work. But it all came down to Chastain in the end, who, overcoming the film's uneven critical reviews, won over voters with an artificial-laden portrayal of Bakker. The Eyes of Tammy Faye earned two Oscar awards in total: Chastain for Best Actress, and Stephanie Ingram, Linda Dowds, and Justin Raleigh, who won for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
This is Chastain's third round at the Oscars. She was first nominated in 2012 for her supporting role as a paranoid, kind-hearted housewife in The Help. The following year her second nomination came for Best Actress in the terrorist drama Zero Dark Thirty. Now Chastain is finally bringing home the gold.