Jessica Chastain Compares Anne Hathaway Thriller ‘Mothers’ Instinct’ to ‘What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?’

Jessica Chastain has an instinct about the upcoming psychological thriller and Old Hollywood throwback film “Mothers’ Instinct.”

The 1960s-set film, helmed by cinematographer Benoît Delhomme, is a remake of Belgium director Olivier Masset-Depasse’s 2018 film “Duelles” for an American audience. “Mothers’ Instinct” co-stars Anne Hathaway as Chastain’s best friend and neighbor. However, their shared suburban paradise is rocked after a tragic accident involving their sons. Per the official synopsis, guilt, suspicion, and paranoia bleed into their friendship as a psychological battle of wills gives way to a darker side of the maternal instinct.

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“Annie and I, we have a lot of fun in that movie. And it’s a throwback to another…I like to think of it like a little bit of ‘What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'” Chastain told IndieWire at the 48th Annual Chaplin Gala honoring her former “The Help” co-star Viola Davis.

Chastain continued, “Of course it’s a different kind of film, but it’s this idea of these two actresses coming together and playing this…the tension I think is very interesting. Thank god Annie and I love each other, so it’s a little different than that experience.”

The 1962 Oscar-winning horror-thriller “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” starred Bette Davis and Joan Crawford who infamously had a feud on set. The film followed a twisted relationship between a controlling woman and her paraplegic sister.

Hathaway previously called “Mothers’ Instinct” the “hardest role” she’s had to play. Neon distributes the film, which is produced by both Hathaway and Chastain.

“The Eyes of Tammy Faye” Academy Award winner Chastain told IndieWire that she is looking to step away from acting down the line.

“It’s very important for me to use my platform to amplify the voices of others. Sometimes that’s a writer or a filmmaker or a demographic that really doesn’t get much attention in our industry,” the Freckle Films production company founder said. “My goal is in the future is that I’m not going to be acting in it as much, that I can just kind of use the platform to shine the light on others. That’s what I’m looking to my future but right now I’m just putting all my weight behind projects.”

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