FOLLOWING her critically-acclaimed performance in the biopic about controversial televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker, Jessica Chastain has announced that she would miss the red carpet at the 94th Academy Awards to support the Oscar-nominated makeup team for her film The Eyes of Tammy Faye.
“I will absolutely be present when the makeup category is being called, and if that means I’m not doing press on the red carpet or ABC or whatever it is, then so be it,“ Chastain said when appearing on the Next Best Picture podcast.
Her comments come after the Academy announced changes to this year’s broadcast. In an effort to streamline the ceremony, the Oscars will begin one hour earlier to present eight award categories prior to the live telecast, including Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
This means that the awards in these categories will not be broadcast to the public, which many in the industry are calling an insult that diminishes the hard work of people behind the scenes.
“The most important thing for me is to honour the incredible artisans who work in our industry,“ Chastain explained.
“So much attention is on the actors, we’re like the face in some ways, because you go to a movie and you see us. A lot of people don’t understand how beyond an actor a performance is. Look at this incredible makeup team, Tammy Faye goes through three decades.”
Makeup artists Justin Raleigh, Linda Dowds and Stephanie Ingram dramatically transformed Chastain into the fallen televangelist.
During production, the star spent several hours a day in the makeup chair while intense makeup, prosthetics and wigs were applied.
Chastain’s captivating performance earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the Academy Awards this year, which cast her alongside Andrew Garfield as her PTL co-founder husband Jim.
“She always made it her mission that everyone understood she was grateful that they were alive,“ she said of the televangelist. “That’s a beautiful gift to give.”
