“I Didn’t Even Know What My Character’s Name Was”: Jessica Chastain Comments on ‘Dark Phoenix’ Debacle

There are actors who are opposed to superhero movies as a matter of principle. Others don’t want anything to do with those films due to the genre or a bad experience. And then there is Jessica Chastain: after her statement on Dark Phoenix on the podcast Happy Sad Confused we learned that the actress doesn’t want to be anywhere near superheroes or  colorful costumes.

“Should we talk about this?” was Chastain’s reaction when asked about Simon Kinberg’s film, which resulted in an overwhelming critical and box office failure. “Oscar [Isaac] and I have definitely talked about this,” she adds, recalling that her schoolmate also had his share of mutant sufferings in X-Men: Apocalypse.

“I think the studio was bought at a certain point,” Chastain recalls. The actress alludes to the merging of Fox and Disney, which left the Dark Phoenix project in no man’s land, and provides an interesting example of the extent of the chaos: “I didn’t even know what my character’s name was until I saw the film. What’s happening?”

Despite this, Jessica Chastain takes a conciliatory approach to her memories. “It was an interesting thing. Simon Kinberg, who directed it, is an incredible human being, and I’ve worked with him again [on The 355]; I love him.”

Now, after having gone through that shoot, the actress is very clear about what her future relationship with the superhero genre would be, in case their paths crossed again. “Give me a supervillain; I don’t want to be a superhero because if you’re a superhero, you’re doing ten films. I don’t want to sign a ten-year contract.”

Nacho Pajín: Nacho Pajín is a writer, filmmaker and visual artist with an innate passion for everything art and film related. Originally from Spain, he had his first contact with the entertainment industry when he decided to study an 8-Week Filmmaking Workshop in Florence, Italy. Three years later, he graduated with his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Filmmaking at New York Film Academy, Los Angeles. He watches all kinds of movies, but he is particularly enthusiastic about art house, horror and independent cinema. Trained in every area of filmmaking, he also enjoys writing, painting and photography. His ultimate goal is to become some sort of 21 century Renaissance man.
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