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Stars are used to the process of becoming their character in movies and television, often with the help of makeup and prosthetics, but for Jessica Chastain, she is worried her skin might be permanently damaged.
Speaking about becoming televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”, Chastain said she “freaked out” the first time they put the makeup on her.
“I was like, ‘I don’t know how to act like this.’ People think it’s easier, but it’s not. You have to reach through the makeup — you can’t let the makeup be the performance. She was so emotional, and I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to get emotional with all this stuff all over me. Am I going to be able to see people and feel free? I just had to get used to it. So much for me is I have to trick my mind,” she told the Los Angeles Times.
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Most days, getting ready would take four hours but one time it took 7.5 hours.
“I started to have hot flashes because it’s so heavy and hot. I was afraid. It was like going on a long-distance flight every day,” Chastain said. “Because if it takes 7 ½ hours to put on, it’s going to take at least two hours to get off. It was concerning to me. I was worried about my circulation. By the time I got on set that first day that was 7 ½ hours, I was like, ‘I have no energy left.’ And she’s supposed to show up with so much energy.”
To get the “’90s look” the bronzer and foundation had to be thicker. “The makeup gets heavier as she gets older,” she said.
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While damage may have been done, she knows it is all the name of the game.
“I think for sure I’ve done some permanent damage to my skin on this. Listen, I eat very pure and I take very good care of my skin and I stay out of the sun and all that stuff. But it’s heavy. And when you’re wearing it all day every day — the weight of it on your body, it stretches your skin out. I finally took it off and I was like, ‘I look 50 years old!’” she said laughing. “No, I’m kidding. But it’s fine. It’s for my art.”
“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”, which also stars Andrew Garfield, will be out in theatres on Sept. 17. Check out the trailer below:
