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Post by futuretrunks on Feb 21, 2020 21:55:38 GMT
I remember there being this palpable excitement about her when she broke out in 2011, and I don't feel it anymore. Is she bad at picking scripts? Did her social media stuff when #metoo first broke out dampen some of her appeal in the industry? How do you assess her career so far?
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Post by stephen on Feb 21, 2020 22:06:55 GMT
I think what hurts her is that her first two years were so major for a breakthrough actress that if she didn't maintain close to that dizzying level of consistency, she was always going to hit below expectations. I actually think she's done very well for herself in the last decade; even if she didn't maintain a perennial spot at the Oscars as some people predicted she would, she still works very consistently.
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Post by futuretrunks on Feb 21, 2020 22:17:21 GMT
I think what hurts her is that her first two years were so major for a breakthrough actress that if she didn't maintain close to that dizzying level of consistency, she was always going to hit below expectations. I actually think she's done very well for herself in the last decade; even if she didn't maintain a perennial spot at the Oscars as some people predicted she would, she still works very consistently. She does work consistently, but after 2015 it hasn't really been with the caliber of director I'd expect. Maybe The Forgiven ends up working well?
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Post by pupdurcs on Feb 21, 2020 22:31:45 GMT
It's a tad unkind to say she was a hype job (though she was), but I think far more was expected of her than she ended up being. People hyped her like she was going to be a generational talent . That clearly is not the case. At all.
She is a very solid, capable and professional actress. But is she any better than say, Carrie Ann-Moss, who never got an iota the hype she got. Probably not (in fact, I rate Moss quite a bit more). I don't even think she's neccesarily any better than her somewhat less heralded doppleganger, Bryce Dallas-Howard.
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Post by urbanpatrician on Feb 21, 2020 22:39:25 GMT
Watching Enchanted last night, it's so clear and obvious to me when a star is born. I never felt that with Chastain. Even though I myself really like her. She has a real "inner" thing going on that's highly likable. I really like her in The Help, Take Shelter, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby and maybe a few others.... but she hasn't been interesting since 2014 (circa Interstellar). But Amy owns her ass. If all of the posters here were around in 2005 they'd all be Adams fanboys, but since they all came in 2011 (a more recent time)... they end up going for the more recent gal. It's logical newbieness. On Good_God's list of premiere modern actresses, only one I'd say she's clearly better than is Sandra Bullock in fact. movie-awards-redux.freeforums.net/thread/15423/classics-premier-modern-actresses?page=1&scrollTo=277027
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Post by pacinoyes on Feb 21, 2020 22:40:39 GMT
Way better actress than people on here think - this board and back in the IMDB days used to rave Oscar Issac (who I do like too) and just compare them in A Most Violent Year together: he's doing an impression of a more famous actor/role in the film, and she's giving an actual performance.
I'm too lazy to look up the Jessica Chastain vs. Amy Adams poll we did, but I think she lost it by far too much - and that thread had some of the most dipsh it sexist comments in it too. I don't dispute Adams winning, don't really care much, but that's far closer than it seems.
Also, she remains one of those people where most people haven't seen her very best performance (imo) in her film debut, in Salome.....not assessing her career, but her talent is just fine.....
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Good God
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Post by Good God on Feb 21, 2020 22:49:41 GMT
Chastain > Adams.
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Post by futuretrunks on Feb 21, 2020 22:52:57 GMT
Way better actress than people on here think - this board and back in the IMDB days used to rave Oscar Issac (who I do like too) and just compare them in A Most Violent Year together: he's doing an impression of a more famous actor/role in the film, and she's giving an actual performance. I'm too lazy to look up the Jessica Chastain vs. Amy Adams poll we did, but I think she lost it by far too much - and that thread had some of the most dipsh it sexist comments in it too. I don't dispute Adams winning, don't really care much, but that's far closer than it seems. Also, she remains one of those people where most people haven't seen her very best performance (imo) in her film debut, in Salome.....not assessing her career, but her talent is just fine..... I don't think she's untalented, but I think it's dangerous for an actor or actress to let their filmography get so slapdash that watching their latest film feels like a chore. I didn't even see It Chapter Two, and I'm not entirely sure why, as I had a decent time at the first one.
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Post by Zeb31 on Feb 22, 2020 0:53:09 GMT
*cracks knuckles*Stephen's right on the money. A breakout like hers isn't just damn hard to come by (what with having that many high profile films hit in the same year and be so successful), it's simply impossible to keep up. I legitimately can't think of any other rising star who has had one single year turn out that stratospheric since then. No actor (especially women) can be expected to maintain the peak that she had from 2011 to 2015 for their entire careers, so there was always going to be a perceived drop for her, just like there has been for all of her female contemporaries. (Seriously, all of them.) All in all, Chastain's done tremendously well for herself, not only because she's built a fantastic résumé in the past decade but also because she's very good at building bridges and cultivating connections in seemingly every project she does. She seems to get along tremendously well with her co-workers, which is why she's constantly re-teaming with many of the same people both in front of and behind the camera, and that's key to having career longevity. As for my opinion, I find her to be among the best, most versatile, most consistently strong and most naturally watchable actresses of her age group. There's this opinion I come across quite often that she only plays variations on the same "boss bitch" persona, and I can't subscribe to that for two reasons. The first is that it's just not true; Chastain can pull off fragile and ethereal just as well as that, and in fact she has many times. Her Mrs. O'Brien is one of her greatest performances, and it's the exact opposite of that archetype, as are Take Shelter's Samantha, The Help's Celia Foote, Eleanor Rigby's Eleanor Rigby (ha) etc. She ventures outside of that lane more often than she gets credit for, and there have also been instances in the past when she's shown a greater willingness than her peers to take real chances with go-for-broke theatrics. Miss Julie isn't a particularly strong film, but I do remember finding hers to be an impressive performance (which by the way is also true of her two co-stars), and I can't think of that many current award darlings who have taken roles that challenging and unflattering and succeeded at them. The second reason why I can't get on board with that criticism is that even if it were true, Chastain is a fucking boss at playing bosses. Even when she isn't delving in the internalized angst of something like Zero Dark Thirty (which is damn brilliant) and instead goes for louder, showier work, she consistently pulls it off due to her sheer screen magnetism. I understand why Sorkin isn't everyone's cup of tea, but (to steal from a review blurb I saw back when it debuted) Molly's Game cemented her in my view not only as an excellent character actress, but as a bona fide movie star in the best, most classical sense of the term. I've caught bits and pieces of that film multiple times since it came out, and I never get tired of watching Chastain in that. Ever. Not that many A-list actresses could've taken those 200 pages and effortlessly carried them on their shoulders on the strength of pure charisma the way she did. The fact that Malick and Sorkin are such polar opposites and Chastain was still an outstanding, natural fit for both of them is testament to her versatility. And that brings me back to her career: Molly's Game (which was quite a success even if it isn't this board's favorite thing in the world) actually only came out a little over 2 years ago. It feels like an eternity, but it really hasn't been very long at all, especially when we look at other immensely talented actresses who are having a much rougher time. Marion Cotillard, who I also absolutely adore and who happens to have the advantage of acting in both English and French, has had nothing but strikeouts since 2016. Leos Carax's Annette is her first potential success in almost half a decade (and even that still hasn't screened, so we're yet to see which way it'll go). Chastain had a spotless 2011-2015 and a solid 2016-2017, with her true lull being only in 2018-2019. (And even then, it was hardly a disaster; I mean, I'm not gonna defend Dark Phoenix because that was a complete failure as well as the only performance of hers I downright disliked, so there's nothing there for me to really enjoy, but It Chapter Two, disappointing though it was, was still big. I find it hard to write the state of her career off so readily when she just played the top-billed lead in a film that made over $200 million domestically and nearly half a billion worldwide. That's nothing to scoff at. Cast Cotillard in that and it immediately becomes the undisputed highlight of her past few years.) I am hopeful about Chastain's upcoming slate, though, which looks significantly better than her recent projects. Tammy Faye could go either way and I'm not expecting greatness from 355, so I'm gonna refrain from making exaggerated or hyperbolic claims, but even if the latter turns out to be trash the combination of Chastain, Nyong'o, Cruz and Kruger on screen together has the power to, in very scientific terms, single-handedly end climate change, fix Brexit and solve world hunger. (Speaking of which: we're yet to see how any of these movies pan out, but Chastain is certainly making moves with her production company. I wish she had more high-profile people behind them, but so far she's gotten three films made and sparked bidding wars for other upcoming projects just by optioning properties or even pitching loglines to studios. I have to admire that level of hustle, as well as the fact that she's putting her money where her mouth is and working behind the scenes to actually support the causes she champions publicly. Her strategy with 355 was very clever, what with pitching the concept herself, personally reaching out to her fellow actresses, and then diminishing the financial pressure by bypassing the studio system and having it independently financed. She has studios like Universal and Fox Searchlight throwing millions into the projects she's pulling together from thin air; I have no choice but to be impressed by that.) And then comes the real meat of it: she just started filming John Michael McDonagh's The Forgiven, which has a fantastic cast (Ralph Fiennes, Mark Strong, Caleb Landry Jones) and an interesting premise; she's starring in the equally intriguing The Good Nurse, from Tobias Lindholm (whose last projects were Mindhunter and the Oscar-nominated A War) and Krysty Wilson-Cairns (who just penned a moderately successful little film that got some people talking); she recently tweeted that there may be an A Most Violent Year follow-up soon, so I'm assuming she, Oscar Isaac and J.C. Chandor might be developing something that hasn't been announced yet; and her production company also optioned a couple of novels over the past few months that have potential. And that's it right there. She had a slower couple of years, but she has the talent, drive and behind-the-scenes support to back with no problem.
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Javi
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Post by Javi on Feb 22, 2020 1:24:53 GMT
I find her pretty dull tbh . Never got the praise for her Liv Ullmann impression in The Tree of Life... weak role, sure, but she added nothing to it. She had no idea what she was doing acting opposite Redgrave and Fiennes in Coriolanus. I do like her in Take Shelter and The Help. And there are times when she's not even believable, let alone compelling, Zero Dark Thirty being one such case.
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Post by futuretrunks on Feb 22, 2020 3:50:56 GMT
*cracks knuckles*Stephen's right on the money. A breakout like hers isn't just damn hard to come by (what with having that many high profile films hit in the same year and be so successful), it's simply impossible to keep up. I legitimately can't think of any other rising star who has had one single year turn out that stratospheric since then. No actor (especially women) can be expected to maintain the peak that she had from 2011 to 2015 for their entire careers, so there was always going to be a perceived drop for her, just like there has been for all of her female contemporaries. (Seriously, all of them.) All in all, Chastain's done tremendously well for herself, not only because she's built a fantastic résumé in the past decade but also because she's very good at building bridges and cultivating connections in seemingly every project she does. She seems to get along tremendously well with her co-workers, which is why she's constantly re-teaming with many of the same people both in front of and behind the camera, and that's key to having career longevity. As for my opinion, I find her to be among the best, most versatile, most consistently strong and most naturally watchable actresses of her age group. There's this opinion I come across quite often that she only plays variations on the same "boss bitch" persona, and I can't subscribe to that for two reasons. The first is that it's just not true; Chastain can pull off fragile and ethereal just as well as that, and in fact she has many times. Her Mrs. O'Brien is one of her greatest performances, and it's the exact opposite of that archetype, as are Take Shelter's Samantha, The Help's Celia Foote, Eleanor Rigby's Eleanor Rigby (ha) etc. She ventures outside of that lane more often than she gets credit for, and there have also been instances in the past when she's shown a greater willingness than her peers to take real chances with go-for-broke theatrics. Miss Julie isn't a particularly strong film, but I do remember finding hers to be an impressive performance (which by the way is also true of her two co-stars), and I can't think of that many current award darlings who have taken roles that challenging and unflattering and succeeded at them. The second reason why I can't get on board with that criticism is that even if it were true, Chastain is a fucking boss at playing bosses. Even when she isn't delving in the internalized angst of something like Zero Dark Thirty (which is damn brilliant) and instead goes for louder, showier work, she consistently pulls it off due to her sheer screen magnetism. I understand why Sorkin isn't everyone's cup of tea, but (to steal from a review blurb I saw back when it debuted) Molly's Game cemented her in my view not only as an excellent character actress, but as a bona fide movie star in the best, most classical sense of the term. I've caught bits and pieces of that film multiple times since it came out, and I never get tired of watching Chastain in that. Ever. Not that many A-list actresses could've taken those 200 pages and effortlessly carried them on their shoulders on the strength of pure charisma the way she did. The fact that Malick and Sorkin are such polar opposites and Chastain was still an outstanding, natural fit for both of them is testament to her versatility. And that brings me back to her career: Molly's Game (which was quite a success even if it isn't this board's favorite thing in the world) actually only came out a little over 2 years ago. It feels like an eternity, but it really hasn't been very long at all, especially when we look at other immensely talented actresses who are having a much rougher time. Marion Cotillard, who I also absolutely adore and who happens to have the advantage of acting in both English and French, has had nothing but strikeouts since 2016. Leos Carax's Annette is her first potential success in almost half a decade (and even that still hasn't screened, so we're yet to see which way it'll go). Chastain had a spotless 2011-2015 and a solid 2016-2017, with her true lull being only in 2018-2019. (And even then, it was hardly a disaster; I mean, I'm not gonna defend Dark Phoenix because that was a complete failure as well as the only performance of hers I downright disliked, so there's nothing there for me to really enjoy, but It Chapter Two, disappointing though it was, was still big. I find it hard to write the state of her career off so readily when she just played the top-billed lead in a film that made over $200 million domestically and nearly half a billion worldwide. That's nothing to scoff at. Cast Cotillard in that and it immediately becomes the undisputed highlight of her past few years.) I am hopeful about Chastain's upcoming slate, though, which looks significantly better than her recent projects. Tammy Faye could go either way and I'm not expecting greatness from 355, so I'm gonna refrain from making exaggerated or hyperbolic claims, but even if the latter turns out to be trash the combination of Chastain, Nyong'o, Cruz and Kruger on screen together has the power to, in very scientific terms, single-handedly end climate change, fix Brexit and solve world hunger. (Speaking of which: we're yet to see how any of these movies pan out, but Chastain is certainly making moves with her production company. I wish she had more high-profile people behind them, but so far she's gotten three films made and sparked bidding wars for other upcoming projects just by optioning properties or even pitching loglines to studios. I have to admire that level of hustle, as well as the fact that she's putting her money where her mouth is and working behind the scenes to actually support the causes she champions publicly. Her strategy with 355 was very clever, what with pitching the concept herself, personally reaching out to her fellow actresses, and then diminishing the financial pressure by bypassing the studio system and having it independently financed. She has studios like Universal and Fox Searchlight throwing millions into the projects she's pulling together from thin air; I have no choice but to be impressed by that.) And then comes the real meat of it: she just started filming John Michael McDonagh's The Forgiven, which has a fantastic cast (Ralph Fiennes, Mark Strong, Caleb Landry Jones) and an interesting premise; she's starring in the equally intriguing The Good Nurse, from Tobias Lindholm (whose last projects were Mindhunter and the Oscar-nominated A War) and Krysty Wilson-Cairns (who just penned a moderately successful little film that got some people talking); she recently tweeted that there may be an A Most Violent Year follow-up soon, so I'm assuming she, Oscar Isaac and J.C. Chandor might be developing something that hasn't been announced yet; and her production company also optioned a couple of novels over the past few months that have potential. And that's it right there. She had a slower couple of years, but she has the talent, drive and behind-the-scenes support to back with no problem. I appreciate the spirited defense. Do you really think she has behind-the-scenes support though? Because while I think the people who love her, really love her, I don't think those are big influential figures. I think lots of people are actually afraid of her. That anecdote of hers where some big actor emailed her asking her to "calm down"? I really wonder if she entered a zone where some people respect her talent but don't think she's worth the "trouble".
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Post by TerryMontana on Feb 22, 2020 14:46:27 GMT
I do like her and think she's extremely talented. Unfortunately, she was not consistent. Although her career is in its early stages, I think it already needs a restart.
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LaraQ
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Post by LaraQ on Feb 22, 2020 15:46:23 GMT
I think she's a highly competent actress but she doesn't have a lot of range.I also think she made too many films after her initial breakthrough and wasn't anywhere near discerning enough.She seems to alternate between blatant oscar bait,The Zookeeper's Wife,Miss Sloane,A Woman Walks ahead,and pay cheque movies,Dark Phoenix,Hunstman,It etc.It'll be interesting to see how The Eyes of Tammy Faye is received and whether or not it will bring her back into the Oscar fold.I'm not convinced it will.
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Post by theycallmemrfish on Feb 22, 2020 21:28:28 GMT
Hawtie with a bawdie.
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Zeb31
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Post by Zeb31 on Feb 23, 2020 21:48:22 GMT
I appreciate the spirited defense. Do you really think she has behind-the-scenes support though? Because while I think the people who love her, really love her, I don't think those are big influential figures. I think lots of people are actually afraid of her. That anecdote of hers where some big actor emailed her asking her to "calm down"? I really wonder if she entered a zone where some people respect her talent but don't think she's worth the "trouble". I really don't think the industry is afraid of her. I can see how her activism might come across as annoying, but that's about it. This isn't a Mo'Nique situation, where an actress is so loud in her criticism of industry politics and so unafraid to name names that even the colleagues who agree with her are forced to be quiet, sit back and watch while her career goes under. Chastain isn't really saying anything that other prominent A-listers aren't; she doesn't get into call-out fights like the Rose McGowan v. Natalie Portman drama; she doesn't name the people she had bad experiences with when she discusses them (even in the instance you brought up, she didn't say who it was that emailed her to calm down, because it wasn't a targeted takedown), and I mean, her brand of activism really isn't all that radical or scary. I don't mean to downplay her efforts because I do think she's more earnest, well-meaning and intersectional than a lot of the people who have intentionally co-opted these movements for their own personal gain and exposure, but Hollywood isn't afraid of something they can commercialize and package for mass consumption. They can take a social movement for gender equality, see that as demand for a product, and fatten their pockets by churning out an all-female Oceans reboot, proto-girl-power Disney live action remakes, and pandering superhero fluff like Captain Marvel. Which isn't to say that contemporary feminist movements are themselves as reductive and exploitative as the cynical use that studio executives make of them; it's simply that if Hollywood can make money off of something, it's not truly frightening. If any higher-up was really bothered by Chastain, she wouldn't be landing leading roles in billion-dollar franchises like It, nor would she have studios signing up to finance the projects she pitches. As for what I said about her having behind-the-scenes support, I meant it less as some of sort of coordinated effort purposefully intended to make her successful and more about the fact that she regularly makes the kinds of connections that will allow her to keep working consistently. There have been multiple instances of writers, directors and producers specifically seeking her out to re-team with her, and while none of them individually have the power to guarantee her success, the fact that they're so numerous does make it likely that she'll continue to land jobs regularly going forward. Some of the most promising roles she has on the horizon are in projects from people she's collaborated with before.
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Post by isabelaolive on Jun 23, 2020 2:19:41 GMT
I think she is amazing and easily one of the best actresses of her generation, among the breakthroughs of the past decade few outnumber her. I think she is a versatile actress, she is not necessarily versatile in the Nicole Kidman style (who plays totally unusual roles and always surprises) or in the Cate Blanchett style (whose versatility is more about making physical transformations and personifications) but I think she can be versatile in your own way.
Between 2010/2015 she had one of the most consistent filmographies but as with most actors who were at their peak in the early 2010s (Lawrence, Portman, Hardy, Fassbender, Isaac, Teller, etc) her career started to decline. I think it was for two reasons: she invested too much in oscar bait films where she plays "strong women" in repetitive roles, which honestly look more like a recycling of the role she had played in Zero Dark Thirthy and blockbusters that didn't work out.
And her next projects (Ava, 355 and The Eyes of Tammy Faye) are all films that, in my opinion, look like they will be bad (both in terms of quality and in terms of box office and prizes). I hope I'm wrong.
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Post by The_Cake_of_Roth on Feb 27, 2023 6:10:49 GMT
After tonight's SAG upset over Seyfried, she now seems like an early frontrunner for the Emmy with Olsen as maybe her biggest threat... we'll have to wait and see what kind of reviews/ratings Love & Death gets.
And if she wins the Emmy, that's 2/3 of the way to the triple crown! Doesn't seem likely that she'd beat Comer for the Tony, but it would really be something if she could somehow pull off the triple crown in such a short span of time...
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Post by mhynson27 on Feb 27, 2023 13:00:15 GMT
After tonight's SAG upset over Seyfried, she now seems like an early frontrunner for the Emmy with Olsen as maybe her biggest threat... we'll have to wait and see what kind of reviews/ratings Love & Death gets. And if she wins the Emmy, that's 2/3 of the way to the triple crown! Doesn't seem likely that she'd beat Comer for the Tony, but it would really be something if she could somehow pull off the triple crown in such a short span of time... I'd watch out for Sydney Sweeney as a dark horse.
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Post by pacinoyes on Feb 27, 2023 13:47:25 GMT
I've said this (too much) before - at a certain point the Triple Crown of Acting will surpass any individual component award - Oscar, Tony, Emmy because people will rack up so many individual awards they will be indistinguishable .........7+ Oscar nominations....2 to 3 Oscar wins......they will no longer have the allure that Nicholson's 12 nods or 3 wins in general did though Streep's 21 always will because she laps the field .......and DDL 3 BA wins will be a Holy Grail (2 BA and 1 Suppoting, much less so)
Viola Davis won all 3 in less 10 years (though she had a Tony earlier too)......right now you have Chastain, Blanchett flirting with (or winning) both an Oscar and an Emmy (Blanchett's Emmy may be in 2024 for Disclaimer, she should already have one for Mrs. America in 2020, but whatever) or Chastain flirting with all 3.....
Chastain is in the forefront of people who can work all 3 mediums and now that Covid is "over" and theater will come back.......you are going to see this Triple Crown in quick succession - for females especially - at some point because of how these awards feed off each other and how connected rather than separate they are.......may take another generation to see it.......but it'll happen imo......I'd be shocked if Chastain wins the Tony but I'd be more shocked if she waits 10 years again to go back to Broadway.....
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Post by hugobolso on Feb 27, 2023 16:31:50 GMT
She thinks iranian aren't white people. And according to her bio she is Julliard graduated.-
Don't waste your money in your children education there.-
As an actress, I never seen a Chastain performance, that trully impressed me.-
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Post by MsMovieStar on Feb 27, 2023 21:11:23 GMT
Oh honey, She's a Principessa and her husband is so hot! Like she cares!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2023 21:46:53 GMT
Oh honey, She's a Principessa and her husband is so hot! Like she cares! Honey, do you remember when Signor Bulgari allowed her to wear Liz Taylor's sapphire and diamond sautoir to Cannes? (She wore it so much better than Taylor IMO.)
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Post by MsMovieStar on Feb 27, 2023 22:01:54 GMT
Oh honey, She's a Principessa and her husband is so hot! Like she cares! Honey, do you remember when Signor Bulgari allowed her to wear Liz Taylor's sapphire and diamond sautoir to Cannes? (She wore it so much better than Taylor IMO.) Oh honey, if only I'd been at that event with a large magnet! They don't invite me to these things anymore...
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Post by pacinoyes on Sept 13, 2023 10:35:23 GMT
Oh a secret film........shhhhh, it's a secret.......her work ethic is pretty amazing While Jessica Chastain and director Michel Franco walked carpets and conducted press conferences at the Venice Film Festival, where they were feted for their film Memory, the duo were also holding a little secret close to their vests.
Prior to Memory hitting Venice, Chastain and Franco completed shooting a feature this summer in San Francisco
Details are scarce but the story involves a possible forbidden romance between a woman, who works for an arts foundation, and a ballet dancer. Franco wrote the script and is directing. www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/jessica-chastain-reteams-with-michel-franco-dreams-1235587582/
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Post by Pittsnogle_Goggins on Sept 15, 2023 14:03:02 GMT
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