Jessica Chastain Reveals How Planned Parenthood Changed The Course Of Her Life
Jessica Chastain is opening up about her difficult upbringing and showing gratitude to those who helped her.
The “Eyes of Tammy Faye” star spoke candidly to The Sunday Times about how he “struggled as a child” while being raised by a single mother who gave birth to him as a teenager.
“I was the first person in my family not to get pregnant when I was 17,” Chastain told the British publication for a profile published on Wednesday.
He said sshe was able to pursue her dreams because Planned Parenthood gave her access to birth control pills.
“It had a huge impact on my life because it gave me a choice,” he said.
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Chastain told the Times that she and her four siblings faced financial hardship, and that at times her family could not afford basic necessities.
“I have a rebellious streak because I grew up with a lot of resentment, because we didn’t have things, like food,” she said. “I don’t talk about it much, but it was really, um, it wasn’t what you would expect. When people see me, I think they have a different background than me.”
Chastain also credits others for giving her opportunities she might not otherwise have had. When he caught the acting bug, for example, he was able to work at a performing arts school in lieu of classes.
“There’s no way my family could afford this,” Chastain said. “Some people saw that I was struggling when I was young and they helped me. And that’s why I ended up where I am today.”
Chastain has a history of stepping up to help others, while staying true to her own values and roots.
In 2018, for example, one of Chastain’s followers on Instagram criticized the actor for a post about being pro-choice. Chastain responded that she really supports reproductive rights and said that “everyone has the right to make their own decision.” Chastain then noted that the follower who criticized her had raised money on GoFundMe to pay for infertility treatments, and the actor donated $2,000 to support the follower’s decision to try to have a child.
Chastain is also quick to apologize when appropriate.
When he received criticism in 2017 for appearing on a Los Angeles Times magazine cover that featured only white women to promote a story on empowering women in Hollywood, Chastain acknowledged her mistake and called the photo a ” sad look” in a tweet.
“The industry needs to be more inclusive in its storytelling,” she wrote, and asked her Twitter followers to name women of color who should have been honored instead of her.
