Jessica Chastain is glad she didn’t find fame too quickly.
The 46-year-old actress, who graduated from the American Academy of Drama in the late 1990s, began her career with several small television roles and appeared in various plays in New York, but did not make it to Hollywood until she was in her thirties.
Although she was initially “disappointed” that fame took so long, she eventually decided that being known worldwide later in life was a “huge gift” that allowed her to hone her craft.
She told Reader’s Digest: “At first I was disappointed. But I realized it was a great gift. I got a huge, huge gift. For me, only work mattered, and nothing else. I went from job to job. was going towards. The job, and my only concern was the character I was playing and the story I was trying to tell. So when the films came, I was worried about what happens and how people treat you differently. I didn’t have to worry. It was an amazing experience.”
The Oscar winner also recalled that she “hated” going to school and often skipped class to read Shakespeare. It was only when she went into higher education with a focus on drama that she became aware of her intelligence.
She added: “I hated going to school. I hated being in class. I felt like I wasn’t learning anything. So I’d sit in my car and read ‘As You Like It.’ At Juilliard I realized maybe I’m not stupid. I thought That I’m not smart because I was having trouble in high school, but suddenly, I went to Juilliard and learned Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle! All these things fascinated me.”
