Claim: Jessica Chastain is a performer.

Jessica Michelle Chastain -LRB- born March 24 , 1977 -RRB- is an American actress and film producer . Born in Carmichael , California , and raised in Sacramento , Chastain developed an interest in acting from a young age . In 1998 , she made her professional stage debut as Shakespeare 's Juliet . After studying acting at the Juilliard School , she was signed to a talent holding deal with the television producer John Wells . She was a recurring guest star in several television shows , including Law & Order : Trial by Jury . She also took on roles in the stage productions of Anton Chekhov 's play The Cherry Orchard in 2004 and Oscar Wilde 's tragedy Salome in 2006 .   Chastain made her film debut in the drama Jolene -LRB- 2008 -RRB- , and gained wide recognition in 2011 for starring roles in half a dozen films , including the dramas Take Shelter and The Tree of Life . Her performance as an aspiring socialite in The Help earned her an Academy Award nomination . In 2012 , she won a Golden Globe Award and received a second Oscar nomination for playing a CIA agent in the thriller Zero Dark Thirty . Chastain made her Broadway debut in a revival of The Heiress in the same year . Her highest-grossing releases came with the science fiction films Interstellar -LRB- 2014 -RRB- and The Martian -LRB- 2015 -RRB- , as she continued to draw praise for her performances in the dramas The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby -LRB- 2013 -RRB- , A Most Violent Year -LRB- 2014 -RRB- , and Miss Sloane -LRB- 2016 -RRB- .   Chastain 's accolades include two Academy Award and British Academy Film Award nominations . She is known to prepare extensively for her roles . Chastain is the founder of the production company Freckle Films , which was created to promote diversity in film . She is vocal about social issues such as gender and racial equality , and mental health . Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2012 .