Jessica Chastain and co. are here to kick some a--.
As the Oscar nominee acknowledged in an interview with Seth Meyers Monday, Oct. 6, it's not every day you get to see a movie packed with famous actresses. But, thanks to her upcoming female-led spy thriller, The 355, fans won't have to wait much longer for a much-needed dose of girl power.
Slated for release on January 15, the action film features Chastain, Lupita Nyong'o, Penélope Cruz and Diane Kruger as international agents and experts who join forces against a mysterious woman tracking them (Fan Bingbing) as they fight together to save the world from a secret weapon.
As Chastain explained to Meyers, the movie's title references the code name for the first female spy during the American Revolution. "Women today in espionage," she said, "use that moniker as a badge of honor."
For the star, it sounds like a personal and professional honor to be able to team up with such esteemed co-stars. "I had seen so many movies with, you know, ensembles with male actors that were great films and great actors, but I was wondering, like, why don't we have movies with women?" she asked. "I had known that in real life, women are at the forefront of espionage."
So, she made it happen by co-producing the movie she was looking for. "It kind of in some sense was a wish list of mine because I got to work with Penélope Cruz and Lupita Nyong'o and Diane Kruger and Fan Bingbing," Chastain told him. "In the past, our industry hasn't been so great at allowing more than one woman on a set at the same time."
And, given the history of male-dominated action movies, Chastain realized the project was missing something.
"I had realized that men have been discriminated against for so long because they had only been known for their skills and their talent and their knowledge and the things that they say and they were not acknowledged for their sexual desirability in the way that women have had," she pointed out. "So, I thought, you know what, it's about time we do men justice and lets have some Bond Boys...It's time that the guys get to be eye candy, too."
While fans have a few more months until they meet those guys, get your first look at the movie with the action-packed trailer above!
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