Jessica Chastain Plays 'Pop Quiz'

Jessica Chastain has been on a roll through Hollywood and beyond, with no plans to slow down. Just this year, she starred opposite Eddie Redmayne in Netflix's The Good Nurse, announced her headlining role in Broadway's A Doll's House, and released her latest project, George Tammy, on Showtime. For Chastain, who is Marie Claire's Holiday Issue cover star, acting and producing (she founded the production company Freckle Films in 2017) is her way of telling women's stories.

"I use my job to try to celebrate women, but also celebrate women as human beings. Which means, yes, I can play characters that are flawed and do terrible things sometimes," she tells Marie Claire. "It's like my job is to constantly remind society that women are human beings."

Chastain's passion for women is visible in her episode of Pop Quiz, where we ask our cover stars to answer questions about themselves. During the game, Chastain revealed  she's a fan of Joan Didion's Slouching Towards Bethlehem, her guilty pleasure on TV is The Real Housewives, and the one thing women should try at least once in their lives: "Everything!" 

Another topic she didn't shy away from? Her most star-struck moment. While chatting up Anne Hathaway (as one does), Chastain turned around and came face-to-face with the Oprah Winfrey, and her reaction was so relatable. "I try to avoid her now because I really embarrassed myself," Chastain admits. "I looked at her and started crying and I think I said, as I was crying, 'You raised me,' which is probably an uncomfortable thing for a stranger to tell you." 

Watch Chastain in Pop Quiz, above, then check out our Holiday cover story and full digital issue here.