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Why Jessica Chastain Almost Had a "Breakdown" on Inside the Actors Studio

Exclusive! Gert a sneak peek at the Oscar nominee's chat with James Lipton

By Chris Harnick Dec 21, 2016 4:00 PMTags
Inside the Actors Studio, Jessica ChastainBravo

Part of Jessica Chastain's job is talking about herself and her work. She's got to hustle to promote movies, like Miss Sloane, which she's nominated for a Golden Globe for, but that doesn't mean she has to like it.

Chastain, who's been nominated for two Oscars, sat down with James Lipton for Inside the Actors Studio and admitted the shyness she experienced as a kid did not go away. "Yeah, I'm almost having a breakdown right now," she said.

"You're still shy?" Lipton quizzed her.

"Yes, I'm so shy," Chastain said with a big sigh.

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But she found performing, which helped The Help star come out of her shell. While some kids were skipping school to goof off, she was to read the works of William Shakespeare. That sounds like such a Jessica Chastain thing to do.

"It's a strange thing. Acting for me has never been about wanting attention or wanting to be seen," Chastain said. "It's funny that I'm in a profession where that's where I am. There's so much I want to express, it's about connecting with another person and the intimacy of what that is, and so I have to overcome my shyness."

Chastain won a Golden Globe for her work in Zero Dark Thirty and was nominated three additional times including for her new movie Miss Sloane.

Her first credited work is an episode of ER. A role on Veronica Mars followed in 2004 as did a recurring role on Law & Order: Trial By Jury. She eventually made her jump to the big screen in 2008 with Jolene.

Inside the Actors Studio airs Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. on Bravo.

(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)