Washington [US], December 8 : Actress and film producer Jessica Chastain talked about breaking generational cycles to achieve success and become something more than society expected, reported People.
Chastain shared that her great-grandmother, grandmother, aunt, and mother all had children before the age of 17, and they "had to drop out of school and take on low-paying jobs to support their families."
However, the actress said that she was "determined" to break this family cycle at the 38th Annual American Cinematheque Awards.
"Theater became my lifeline," she shared. "It was a way to feel seen, to use my voice and to break free from the expectations that had bound my family for generations. And I became determined to escape the cycle."
"I was the first in my family to not get pregnant as a teenager, the first to finish high school and the first to attend college," she said, adding, "And attending the Juilliard School didn't just change my life. It showed my family that a different path was possible."
"Chastain stated that since then, she has "worked to dismantle the restrictive roles society imposes on women" through her job, breaking the
"archetypes" that women are valued solely for their "sexual desirability" or their "function as mothers," reported People.
She highlighted that she accomplished this by getting two top-grossing pictures early in her career, 'Mama' and 'Zero Dark Thirty'.
"It's an honour to portray women who are capable, who are intelligent and independent," said the actress, adding, "I want kids to see. I want little girls and I want boys to see that her true value isn't in her beauty or her role as someone's partner, but in her intellect, her resilience and her strength."
"Stories matter because they shape culture. Stories inspire change and stories empower future generations," she said.
Chastain has paid tribute to her grandmother and mother on social media for the past several years. She wished her mom a "Happy Mother's Day" on Instagram in 2020, noting that she was "grateful" to her mom and grandmother for giving "so much for their children."
In October, Chastain shared that her grandmother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. "This week, I flew to meet with her amazing doctors and surgeons who are providing her the best possible care," the actress wrote on Instagram at the time. "I'm beyond grateful to the incredible hospital staff."
She added, "She's a total badass, and I know she'll get through this," reported People.
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