Jessica Chastain is a unique actress for her ability to play a wide variety of roles without becoming typecast as one type of actress. Throughout her time as a movie star, Chastain has put her mark on any number of roles, consistently bridging something unique and exciting to the films in which she appears. It should come as no surprise to learn that Chastain began her career by training at Julliard, the famed performing arts conservatory in New York City. It did, however, take Chastain a bit longer than you might expect to break out in the movies, landing her first screen role at the age of 31.
Since that time, however, she has been a mainstay in Hollywood, garnering awards plenty with more surely to come. In 2022, Chastain took home her first Oscar in the Best Actress category for her role in The Eyes Of Tammy Faye. Now, we have ranked Chastain’s twelve best movies, ranked from worst to best.
12. The Good Nurse (2022)
This film is based on the true crime case of mass murderer nurse Charles Cullen (Eddie Redmayne) who was responsible for up to 400 hospital murders (but charged with just 29), and Amy Loughrenn (Chastain), a nightshift nurse who eventually uncovers the truth of his actions.
Several factors make The Good Nurse work. One is its excellent script with a consistent tone that never wanes or falters, keeping us moving through the story at a slow but deliberate pace. The acting is also excellent, with Redmayne and Chastain really shining in their respective roles.
In his portrayal of Cullen, Redmayne is aptly understated, creepy, and foreboding. He is a consistent actor, and this performance is no different. He is quiet here in a way that makes him seem more dangerous. Chastain embodies the qualities of a good nurse in Loughrenn, but she can step up when needed. She is steely, compassionate, and on the mark as the whistleblower of the story.
11. Miss Sloane (2016)
Miss Sloane is a political drama that touches on some very topical issues. Chastain plays one of the most sought-after and formidable lobbyists in D.C. However, when she takes on her most powerful opponent, she may find winning too costly.
Chastain gives a real powerhouse performance as Elizabeth Sloane, a tough-as-nails lobbyist, which carries much of the movie. As a whole, the film is entertaining and clever in its portrayal of Washington’s complex power struggles, promising to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
It’s also one of Chastain’s best performances, with a character that allows her to show so much of her skill set. She also displays so much depth and dimension for a character that could, in another actor’s hands or on the page by itself, seem more cold and unrelatable.
10. It: Chapter Two (2019)
Perhaps it should come as no surprise that the first installment of Stephen King’s It was a massive box office hit. After all, there are a few things audiences seem to come back for again and again: ‘80s nostalgia, scary movies, and Stephen King. Still, I don’t think anyone expected it to be such a hit, bringing in a total of $700 million in box office revenue. This put all the more pressure on the second installment to live up to the first. In this film, though, we move from the children of the original story to their adult versions, played by an entirely different cast and set 27 years after the action of the original. Here Jessica Chastain takes over the role of Beverly Marsh from the talented young actress Sophia Lillis, adding weight to the already essential role.
And it seems she was destined to play the character: During a promotional interview for Molly’s Game (2017), Jessica Chastain expressed an interest in playing Beverly Marsh. She became the fan-favorite to play the older Bev during the filming of It (2017), with director Andy Muschietti, producer Barbara Muschietti, and Young Beverly actress Sophia Lillis all stating that she would be their first choice as well. Chastain was officially confirmed for the role in February 2018. You can stream both chapters of It now on HBO Max.
9. The Eyes Of Tammy Faye (2021)
You might be surprised to find this film so low on our list, especially when you consider the fact that Chastain took home her first Academy Award for the role. Though she does a fantastic job transforming herself into Tammy Faye Bakker, the wife of disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker, the movie itself is quite flawed. That said, Chastain is fantastic, donning prosthetics and make-up to become a completely different person.
Chastain captures Tammy Faye’s babyish voice, her recognizable chuckle and even sings (very well) the songs she sang on camera and released albums. From the very first second, she appears on screen, you forget it’s her. She performs every note like she’s trying to tap into something more profound, hovering between psychotic and exuberant to give us a glimpse into the character’s mind. While The Eyes Of Tammy Fay may fall prey to many of the biopic trappings, it is worth a watch for Chastain alone.
8. Molly’s Game (2017)
Here again we find Chastain taking on a role based on a real-life figure, this time becoming Molly Bloom in a movie based on her 2014 memoir. Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, Molly’s Game tells the story of Bloom and her underground poker games which become the thing of legends, hosting everyone from celebrities, to athletes, and — eventually — the Russian mob. In classic Sorkin style, this is an extremely fast-paced, quick-talking movie where characters are asked to spill pages of dialogue within single scenes.
Despite being a poker millionaire who knowingly broke federal gaming laws, Chastain makes you root for her. The film tends to remind viewers too often that she is a good girl who made some mistakes, but Chastain’s performance makes it work. No matter what, this is a highly entertaining and well-made film that is as accurate as anything ever produced by Hollywood. Chastain is more than up to the task, giving one of her greatest performances in an ultimately uneven movie. If you are interested, you can stream Molly’s Game now on Netflix.
7. The Tree Of Life (2011)
Terrence Malick movies like this one are a difficult task for actors. Malick is a director unlike any other and his film and editing style makes it so that actors are constantly unsure of where scenes they are performing will appear in the movie or whether they will make it in at all. That said, he does allow his actors and actresses to fully inhabit their roles, as Chastain does here, acting opposite Brad Pitt.
The two play a married couple named Mr. and Mrs. O’Brien raising a family in 1950s Texas. Of course, this being a Malick movie, The Tree Of Life is also about the nature of existence and the meaning of life itself – weighty topics, to be sure, but Chastain is able to ground her performance in something real, giving the viewer something to hold onto even as the movie spins out of control at times.
6. Take Shelter (2011)
Jeff Nichols’ Take Shelter sees Chastain once again playing the wife role to the more primary protagonist, but she is able to bring more to the role than what may appear on the page. Here, she plays Samantha, a woman whose husband (Michael Shannon) is either losing his mind or experiencing prophetic dreams of doom and gloom. We’ll let you decide which is worse, but suffice it to say that she is tasked with keeping things together as they begin to spin out of control. We won’t spoil where this story ends up, but just watching Chastain and Shannon share scenes is an absolute treat, no matter the situation.
Thanks to the screenplay, Chastain gradually develops into a true character. Samantha is a good-hearted, open-hearted, loving individual who is driven solely by logic and unafraid of confrontation. As a result, Samantha will become more relatable to many, adding to the film’s complexity. The film does an excellent job of not only analyzing characters but also showing how they react and respond to key events.
5. The Martian (2015)
Chastain spent a lot of time in space during the middle of the last decade. While we’ll get to the other example of interstellar travel later (see what we did there?), this movie certainly got things going in a big way.
Chastain plays Melissa Lewis, a USN Submarine Warfare officer, oceanographer, and geologist who is primarily tasked with saving the day within the film’s narrative. Though this film is largely owned by the titular Martian, Matt Damon, Chastain maintains an essential role, portraying a tough yet humane NASA commander in what is one of the best movies of the century.
4. Interstellar (2014)
Interstellar, like pretty much all Christopher Nolan movies this side of Memento, is absolutely epic in scale, traveling decades in time and millions of miles in space. Chastain plays Murph Cooper, a NASA scientist and the only daughter of the film’s de facto hero, Joseph Cooper (played by Matthew McConaughey). We see Murph grow from a young girl to a grown woman, all within the film’s sprawling story, which includes wormholes, time travel, and plenty of heady science.
It is an indispensable role for Chastain as we must both believe she is the same little girl we knew from the beginning of the story and retain a soft spot for the father/daughter relationship that is a large part of the early part of the narrative. Interstellar, like The Martian, marks one of the more financially successful movies Chastain has ever been a part of. If you have to check out this science-fiction epic, you can stream it now on Paramount Plus.
3. Crimson Peak (2015)
Chastain takes a villainous turn in this gothic horror from the mind of Guillermo del Toro. Chastain plays Lucille Sharpe, one half of a truly evil brother-sister duo – her brother Thomas, played by a devilish Tom Hiddleston. Together, the siblings terrorize Thomas’ new wife, Edith Crushing (Mia Wasikowska), spinning a plot as crazy and twisted as you might imagine from the man who brought us movies like Nightmare Alley and Pan’s Labyrinth.
This is a notable role for Chastain as she very seldom plays a character as inherently unlikable as she does here, which, reportedly, is one of the reasons she chose to accept the role. This wonderfully frightening movie is available now on Netflix, making it the perfect Halloween watch.
2. A Most Violent Year (2014)
A Most Violent Year once again finds Chastain playing the wife role, but, as before, she can’t help but transcend such a limiting signifier, becoming a force to be reckoned with in her own right in this film. This J.C. Chandor- (All Is Lost) directed movie is the kind of gangster-adjacent tale that fits snuggly between The Godfather and The Sopranos, though its characters might reject such a description.
Starring alongside Oscar Isaac, Chastain plays Anna Morales, the Lady Macbeth to Isaac’s Scottish King, urging him to turn to violence in the face of intimidation in this 1981 drama. Chastain was roundly praised for her performance, as was the movie as a whole.
1. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Jessica Chastain has had many excellent roles over the years and has performed well in all of them, but Zero Dark Thirty remains not only the most successful movie she’s been in but the best performance as well. It’s a movie that has become a bit difficult to discuss given its subject matter, which tracked the decade-long manhunt for Osama Bin Laden. There is plenty of controversy surrounding the movie, which takes more than a few liberties with the truth and certainly holds a specific point of view on the subject at hand.
That said, Zero Dark Thirty was not particularly scandalous at the time. Not only was it a box office smash, but the movie was nominated for five Academy Awards, including a Best Actress nomination for Chastain. She also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for her role in the movie, in which she plays CIA intelligence analyst Maya Harris. If you want to check out Chastain’s performance for yourself, you can stream Zero Dark Thirty now on Netflix.
