Jessica Chastain Calls Out The ‘Disturbing’ Representation Of Women At Cannes

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by Elizabeth Bennett |
Published on

Speaking at a press conference in Cannes yesterday, Jessica Chastain spoke about the 'disturbing' way women are currently being represented in film.

The actress - who has previously spoken out about the gender pay gap and female discrimination in Hollywood on numerous occasions - was part of the jury at this year's French film festival.

'This is the first time I've watched 20 films in 10 days, and I love movies and the one thing I really took away from this experience is how the world views women,' the actress told reporters at the press conference.

'It was quite disturbing to me, to be honest. There are some exceptions, I will say. For the most part, I was surprised by the representation of female characters on screen in these films.'

While this year's festival saw Sofia Coppola take home the Best Director gong for her film, The Beguiled, the clearly is still a long way to go in terms of achieving gender equality.

'I do hope that when we include more female storytellers, we will have more of the women that I recognize in my day-to-day life. Ones that are proactive, that have their own agencies. They just don't react to the men around them. They have their own point-of-view,' Chastain finished.

Earlier this year, the two-time Oscar-nominated star revealed she turned down a 'huge' role because she was not to be paid the same as her male co-stars.

READ MORE: Jessica Chastain Reveals She Turned Down Major Film Role Due To Gender Pay Gap

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