The phenomenal American actress Jessica Chastain has been making headlines following her appearance in acclaimed movies like Interstellar and The Good Nurse. However, previously during her appearance in an interview with Josh Horowitz for the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the actress recalled the $251M movie she turned down, which eventually earned Jennifer Lawrence an Oscar nod.
Speaking with Josh Horowitz, Jessica Chastain mentioned how she almost appeared in American Hustle starring Christian Bale. Discussing how Jennifer Lawrence’s role was initially offered to her, Chastain mentioned the reasons why she turned down the critically appreciated movie that scared the life out of Lawrence.
Jessica Chastain Turned Down $251M American Hustle
During an interview with Josh Horowitz for the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Jessica Chastain opened up about a particular movie role that she turned down, which eventually went to Jennifer Lawrence. Confessing how she passed on portraying Rosalyn Rosenfeld in American Hustle (2013), Chastain recalled that the role earned Lawrence an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Chastain revealed,
“I love David O. Russell… love, love, love, and I’ve always wanted to work with him. And I got offered American Hustle, the Jennifer Lawrence part.”
Admitting her prior commitment with the 2014 film Miss Julie, Jessica Chastain revealed her reasons for turning down the $251M movie.
“I wanted to do it. It conflicted with Liv Ullmann and Miss Julie.” Chastsin further added, “I had been attached to that for a long time and I worship Liv Ullmann, so I had to say like ‘sorry, there’s conflict’. And it didn’t work out”.
Dedicating herself to Liv Ullmann’s Miss Julie, Jessica Chastain had to turn down her chance to appear alongside Christian Bale in American Hustle. However, despite having regrets about not being able to take up the project, Chastain was more than happy to see Jennifer Lawrence in the movie.
“Everything happens for a reason because Jennifer was also way better than I ever would’ve been in that part.”
Jennifer Lawrence Received Oscar Nod For American Hustle
After Jessica Chastain turned down the role in the 2013 iconic film American Hustle, it went to Jennifer Lawrence who delivered a stunning performance that even earned her an Oscar nod. However, the actress eventually lost the award to Lupita Nyong’o in 12 Years a Slave. Nonetheless, despite losing the acclaimed award, Lawrence had a terrific experience while shooting the movie alongside Christian Bale.
Playing the role of Rosalyn Rosenfeld, wife of Christian Bale‘s con artist, who subsequently engaged in an affair with a mobster, Jennifer Lawrence confessed being scared to death after witnessing Bale’s method acting. While the actor is known for his bizarre and mentally engaged way of acting that nearly scares most of his co-stars, his performance in American Hustle particularly took a toll on Lawrence. Jennifer Lawrence mentioned,
“I would be nervous to work with somebody who is Method. I would have no idea how to talk to them. Do I have to be in character? That would make me nervous.”
Recalling her work with Bale on American Hustle, the actress mentioned how it changed her acting process as she closely watched the Oscar-winning actor get in and out of character while filming. “I had always been very on-off, on-off until I did ‘American Hustle’ and worked with Christian Bale,” the actress shared. However, eventually, despite all odds, American Hustle gained appreciation from critics and even made $251M at the worldwide box office.
Watch American Hustle on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: Happy Sad Confused
