With director Simon Kinberg’s The 355 now playing in theaters, I recently got to speak with Jessica Chastain about making the original action thriller. Written by Kinberg and Theresa Rebeck, from a story by Rebeck, the spy movie is about a group of women that come together to save the world from a top-secret weapon that can hack into any computer. The all-star cast is made up of CIA agent Mason “Mace” Brown (Chastain), rival badass German agent Marie (Diane Kruger), former MI6 ally and cutting-edge computer specialist Khadijah (Lupita Nyong’o), and skilled Colombian psychologist Graciela (Penelope Cruz). Along the way they run into a mysterious woman, Lin Mi Sheng (Fan Bingbing), who may or may not be on their side. The film also stars Edgar Ramirez and Sebastian Stan plays Chastain’s partner at the CIA. The 355 was produced by Chastain, Kinberg, and Kelly Carmichael, with Richard Hewitt, Esmond Ren, and Wang Rui Huan executive producing.
During the interview, Jessica Chastain talked about where the idea came from to make The 355, which stunt caused her to go to the hospital, raising the money independently and making the film for a fraction of the budget for a film like this, why she likes coloring outside the lines as producer and having the actresses own a piece of the film, and more. In addition, she gives an update on Rawson Marshall Thurber’s The Division movie that is set to star in opposite Jake Gyllenhaal.
Watch what she had to say in the player above or you can read the transcript below.
COLLIDER: If someone has actually never seen anything that you've done, what is the first thing you want them watching and why?
JESSICA CHASTAIN: The Tree of Life. I think that's a film for me that is more than a film. It's more than a performance. It's like Terrence Malick wrote a poem and filmed me and captured me in a way that it's going to... I can't even really talk about it without getting emotional. So it's a very emotional film for me. It's definitely the film that when I'm gone, I would like people to remember me by.
It's also a fantastic movie. So you're a producer on this and you came up with the idea, this is like all you. At what point, when you were shooting some of the stunts, you're on top of... You're in a crane you're being lifted up. At any point were you like, what am I doing? How did I get here? And how did I allow myself to do this?
CHASTAIN: Absolutely. I mean, listen, it's not a secret dream of mine to be an action star Steve. Really it's like I literally came from me being on the jury at Cannes and going, they don't make movies with female ensembles, action movies, that aren't comedies or a joke. Why don't we make a film where it takes it seriously? I know the woman I played in Zero Dark Thirty. I know women who currently work in espionage. It's kind of never been addressed in a way. So I wanted to do it. I also wanted to make a film where the actresses were the owners of the film. We made it outside of studio system. We made it independently. We raised the money and we made it for a fraction, the tiniest budget compared to what they're normally made for. It was an experiment, I think. Many times I was up on this crane going, how did I get myself into this?
I watched you doing the stunt. I'm like, “are you kidding!”
CHASTAIN: I had to go to the hospital.
For real?
CHASTAIN: For real. Also too, all the crew's looking at me and I'm like, it was my idea. So I couldn't half-ass anything. I had to really show up. I had to do everything. I didn't want to let anyone down. And we were doing a fight scene and I was supposed to hit my head on the ground. It was a marble ground and I misjudged. I was in the moment and I misjudged the distance and I hit my head on the marble and I heard a crack that everyone in the room heard. We stopped, my stunt double came up to me and she didn't speak great English. So she goes, "I'm sorry, I have to put it back in your head." Is something hanging out of my head? I thank goodness it was just a bruise, I guess that she was pushing back in my head. But they told me, I was like, "No, let's keep going." They're like, "Nope, you're going to the hospital." So yeah. It was no joke.
I really appreciated that you made this because it’s great to see all these women kicking ass on screen. I'm just curious, what are you thinking about for producing in the future? How did this inspire you to do more?
CHASTAIN: Well, this has been a really exciting year because we have 355, we have the The Eyes of Tammy Faye come out that we produced at Freckle Films. I'm working right now on George and Tammy, the miniseries about George Jones and Tammy Wynette. I'm really excited about doing anything that feels a bit rebellious.
I find sometimes and I know it can be a little complicated for an industry that's worked in one way for so long, but even this. Having the actresses own the film and it's never really been that. There's always been some executive in some office somewhere saying who has value and when their shelf life expires. So this idea that we can be like, okay, the artist should own their work. That's exciting. If I can do anything that feels a little... I'm kind of rebellious. I kind of like pushing against rules. I don't like to be told this is the box everyone needs to be in and everyone stay in your lane. I like being like, well, why are there lanes to begin with? Let's color outside the lines. And supposedly, I mean, they haven't kicked me out of the industry yet, so thank goodness. But yeah, I want to continue coloring outside the lines.
I love it. Also, I want to know when you guys are filming The Division, because I really want to see that movie.
CHASTAIN: I want to know that too. I mean Rawson (Marshall Thurber) is working on the script. We're all hanging in there. We're linking arms. We want to get it made. I mean also I want to work with Jake (Gyllenhaal). He's great and we've been talking about this for a long time, so yes we're all committed and we're loyal. I mean, George and Tammy, I got attached to in 2011, Tammy Faye, I worked on for seven years before we started filming. Once I attach, I'm a loyal MF, so I am loyal to The Division.
Yeah. I know Rawson is working on the script because he told me and I know some people that saw Ambulance, the new Michael Bay and they raved about it, and they said Jake is phenomenal in it.
CHASTAIN: Of course.
He's kind of talented.
CHASTAIN: Yeah. Kind of. I mean, if only he wasn't just so disgusting to look at and he had a little bit more talent. He'd be fine.
Right exactly. No, but it's good though that he's riding this wave of... But it's nice because I didn't like Six Underground, but everyone who saw Ambulance tells me how good it is.
CHASTAIN: Okay. I'm excited to see that.