Top 173 Quotes & Sayings by Jessica Chastain

I don't like the idea that fame could mean that people can no longer relate to me.

I've spent my life being embarrassed.

I don't want to be in my car all day. I love getting up in the morning in Venice and walking my dogs down to the cafe to get my tea, and then perhaps going to a bookstore and sitting and reading, then walking to the beach.

Broadway has always been a dream of mine.

Funny how defined we are by how we present ourselves to the world.

My whole life, I wanted to be an actor. Perhaps the seed was planted when I saw Sigourney Weaver in 'Alien', wiping the floor with the men on the ship.

I'm inspired by people who are so sensitive and vulnerable that they try to cover it up.

Before, it was just about making the films - and now it's releasing them. Which is a steep learning curve.

I'm such a geek.

I'm used to working really hard to get a role. I was always auditioning and talking my way into roles.

Whatever anyone says, I think the opposite will happen.

What can I do to create a healthy work environment? Because we have all been groomed to the normalization of violence and the normalization of abuse. And we refuse to live in that society.

You know, it's recently come into focus for me why I want to be an actor: It's because of the connection I feel to people.

I have problems because I'm very expressive, and usually red lipstick gets on my teeth and face.

I'm the unknown everyone's already sick of.

I try not to fake anything.

Okay, I'm going to let you in on a little secret: I'm a very superstitious person. I'm walking onto the plane as we speak. I'm putting my hands on the outside of the plane and my feet are on the lip of the plane. I have to do it every time before I fly.

I've had to learn how to say 'no' to offers.

The reason we like acting is connecting to other people.

I'm inspired by antiques. I look at things that have a wink to the past but are also reinterpreted in some way and made to feel modern... and maybe that's what I am.

We need to understand that femininity is not weakness. And our society, for some reason, equates the two.

I just want to see more women in film and behind the camera. I'm tired of seeing movies from one perspective.

There is this immediate connection, this intimacy when you're acting because there's no room to be polite or shy. Also, as an actor I get to connect with women I've never met before.

Some people think I've had a nose job. I've never had anything like that done, but I have no judgement of anyone that does.

I'm a true believer that you get out of something what you put into it.

I do know that people treat me different with blonde hair than they do with red hair.

When I first moved to Los Angeles, I don't think anyone knew what to do with me.

I am not one to go for traditional female roles, because I don't think traditionally female characters are very interesting, and I don't think they represent real life.

This is an industry rife with racism, sexism and homophobia. It is so closely woven into the fabric of the business that we have become snowblind to the glaring injustices happening every day.

I'm really inspired by stories I didn't know about.

When something happens, I always check myself and know it's going to go away. So be prepared for it. This is a tough business for actors who are sensitive. If you try to hold on to things, you'll go crazy.

I'm working hard to break free of stereotypes that the film industry has created and nurtured around women.

I think that with any emotion - fear, love, nervousness - if the actor's feeling it, then the audience feels it.

I'm a shadow whisperer: I hide in the shadows. And I tend to avoid places where I might get photographed and end up with my picture in the press.

I love fall because I love the whole cuddling aspect of it, and a sweater dress has that vibe of I'm going to hunker down and be warm, but it's also very feminine.

In our society, women are valued for their sexual attraction. I'd like to get away from the sex symbol idea of what beauty is. Actually, that's probably the farthest thing from beauty, because it's makeup and hair, it's pouty lips - it's not real.

Green tea throughout the day is the healthiest thing I've discovered for me.

I've never been in New York for the whole time of Fashion Week.

I don't want people to look at me.

People were confused by me, and at first I was auditioning a lot for the crazy characters or the victim, someone who'd been attacked. Which is great, because usually those are the best acting roles.

One of my favorite parts of being an actress is being a detective.

I look at all the ingredients of a film and say, 'Is this a positive thing that I'm putting into the world? Is there honor and respect in the way the story is being told about them? And would they approve of that?'

We have a long way to go in the world in all industries. If I'm in the situation where I have equal experience to the other actor and my role is just as significant, there is no reason why I should be paid less. It's not really part of my world anymore, because I just won't accept it.

I always say I am a realist, and my mom says, 'No, you just have anxiety.'

I'm very sensitive in real life. I cannot not cry if someone around me is crying. I will start to cry if someone is crying, even if it's not appropriate. I have that thing in me, a weakness or sensitivity.

We know in our society, women are valued for their sexual desirability and not necessarily for what they have to say.

I can't even open my eyes underwater.

I'm the first person in my family to go to college.

No one ever recognizes me.

I think when you congratulate yourselves for diversity, that means nothing's really changed.

I was excited that my films would finally see the light of day and people would see them. But I never imagined that such nice things would be said about a lot of my films.

I've actually been given a great gift. When I walk into an audition with a director, I'm carrying no baggage. They haven't seen me in anything, even though I've done nine films.

I'm either thought of as ethereal or fiery. And maybe that's the interesting thing about red hair: there's that fiery Renaissance connotation and the ethereal.

My favourite smell is the smell of cut grass, and the sound of sprinklers going on.

I grew up poor.

Women can be powerful, graceful, and complex, with the ability to make any choice they desire.

What's wrong with trying hard and showing up and being good at your job? We really need to look at ourselves and say we need to reevaluate this. We need to reevaluate that women who ask for a pay raise or ask for a promotion - it's actually an okay thing. It's okay to be ambitious; it's okay to be over-prepared.

I love being around great actors and film-makers, and I try to hide the fact that I'm in awe of them.

It takes me a long time to make a big purchase.

I have a feeling that very soon I'm going to fail very, very big. I'm going to try something and everybody's going to be like, 'What was she thinking?'