Up Until Five Years Ago, People Told Jessica Chastain She "Wasn't Pretty Enough"

Actress was turned down for roles because she wasn't attractive

With two Academy Award nominations under her belt, you would think Jessica Chastain wouldn't have any problems nabbing roles. But it wasn't always like that! The A Most Violent Year actress reveals to Telegraph magazine that many people used to tell her that she wasn't attractive enough to be on camera.

"Only in the past five years have people been telling me I'm attractive," she says in the mag's latest issue. "Before then, I wasn't getting parts because people kept telling me I wasn't pretty enough."

The redheaded beauty has become known for her gorgeous locks, but some casting directors didn't appreciate her fiery look and advised that she dye her hair. Thankfully, she didn't take the advice!

"People would tell me to dye my hair blond when I first started auditioning," she says. "Funny how defined we are by how we present ourselves."

The actress has been nominated for her work in Zero Dark Thirty and The Help. She won the 2013 Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama, for the Navy SEAL-following film.

Although her career might have started on a bumpy road, she has since found her footing and was even voted MVP at the 20th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards—a far cry from her days of getting snubbed! She took the opportunity, which fell on Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, to call for more diversity in the entertainment industry.

"Today is Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, so it got me thinking about our need to build the strength of diversity in our industry, and to stand together against homophobic, sexist, misogynistic, anti-Semitic and racist agendas," the 37-year-old actress said. "I'm an optimist and I can't help but feel hopeful about the future of film, especially looking at all of the beautiful people in this room.

"Martin Luther King Jr. said, 'Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.' and I would like to encourage everyone in this room to please speak up. Thank you."

Her speech came in the wake of the Oscar nominations announcement, which notably featured little-to-no diversity in each category.