The conversation on female roles in Hollywood has been heightened recently as many actresses are speaking out on the state of the industry. Whether it be the lack of roles for older female actors, or the reduced pay in comparison to their male counterparts, women in Hollywood are taking issue with the current trends, and are calling out for change. A few weeks back, Emily Blunt discussed the lack of female action stars, and now, Jessica Chastain is speaking out on a similar notion. Specifically, Chastain is finding big problems with female superheroes these days, problems she thinks need to change.
Jessica Chastain has been very vocal about her issues with the way women are treated in Hollywood in the past, particularly the limited types of roles available to them. In an interview with RadioTimes, The Martian star expanded on her issues with female action heroes and how they have become way too over-sexualized. She said:
If you look at films like Elektra and Aeon Flux, the problem that studios have is that they try to make kickass women very sexualized. They have to be in some catsuit. But if you look at the most incredible female roles, like Ripley in Alien, she is a very sexy woman but she’s not wearing a lot of make-up. She’s in a T-shirt and jeans. What’s sexy about her is how capable she is.
This point has been brought up time and time again by many female actors and female fans. The same who questioned why Bryce Dallas Howard’s character in Jurassic World wouldn’t take off her 5-inch heels to run away from Indominus Rex? Even the Marvel females have often been seen sporting skin tight apparel. So, as a result, Chastain has become very careful with choosing movie roles. Her latest film, The Martian sees Chastain in a leadership role as the Commander of a mission to Mars. She continued:
If the female character isn't as interesting as the male character, I'm not interested. Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2 was incredible. I remember the opening shot of her in that tank top doing those pull-ups, and I remember being a little girl watching her and thinking, 'This is amazing. I want to be her.'
We haven’t seen many female action characters in the same vein of Sarah Connor and Ripley lately, but that doesn’t mean it can’t exist. While there may be these instances that Chastain touches upon, there are also heroes like Scarlet Witch or Katniss Everdeen or Furiousa, out there that are proving females can certainly hold awesome action roles. And while we haven’t heard much about Jessica Chastain’s role in the Chris Hemsworth-led The Huntsman, she certainly could be turning up as another badass fighting female. We’ll just have to wait and see.
You can see Chastain in The Martian hitting theaters tomorrow and The Huntsman will be out April 22, 2016.
