Jessica Chastain criticizes her all-white magazine cover
Jessica Chastain has joined the chorus of outrage over a racially homogeneous magazine cover — of which she was a part.
Last week, the LA Times Magazine released a cover featuring six awards season contenders in this year’s Best Actress race: Annette Bening, Jessica Chastain, Diane Kruger, Margot Robbie, Saoirse Ronan, and Kate Winslet. Under this image of five blondes and one redhead, the magazine had the shockingly tone-deaf title of the feature: “A Shift in Focus.” Twitter was not amused.
Honestly @jes_chastain as an outspoken voice for equality how do you pose for a photo like this and not feel absolutely mortified by the blatant exclusion? How is it possible to not understand the msg this photo sends? pic.twitter.com/nb8caRfVL6
— Rebecca Carroll (@rebel19) December 22, 2017
It shouldn’t be necessary to point out the obvious, but clearly it’s necessary to point out the obvious. pic.twitter.com/FQjLkBiaMy
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) December 22, 2017
very impressed by their commitment to diversity by including a redhead pic.twitter.com/Be6oM1zcu9
— Dana Schwartz (@DanaSchwartzzz) December 22, 2017
It is almost 2018. If you're a white woman and someone asks you to pose for a group picture, for a magazine cover, with only other white women, YOU SAY NO. https://t.co/XYn1xq9j96
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) December 22, 2017
Sunken Place Magazine pic.twitter.com/HgqdXoYoLB
— Aminatou Sow (@aminatou) December 22, 2017
Some of the cover’s critics specifically called out Chastain for taking part in the all-white photo and feature, as she has long been a vocal proponent of a more inclusive Hollywood. Saturday night, the actress didn’t directly respond to those who had addressed her, but did tweet her own criticisms of the all-white cover.
Its a sad look that there's no WOC in this pic of us promoting our female lead films. The industry needs to become more inclusive in its storytelling. What were your favorite WOC lead films this year? I LOVED @salmahayek in #BeatriceAtDinner https://t.co/tzoijwy88q
— Jessica Chastain (@jes_chastain) December 24, 2017
“It’s a sad look that there’s no WOC in this pic of us promoting our female lead [sic] films,” the two-time Oscar nominee — so far the only actress featured on the cover to comment on the controversy — tweeted. “The industry needs to become more inclusive in its storytelling. What were your favorite WOC lead films this year? I LOVED @salmahayek in #BeatriceAtDinner.”
Beyond Hayek’s Sundance drama, however, the actress (and her followers who responded) struggled to come up with a list of titles led by women of color.
Its TERRIBLE that I can't think of at least 5 female lead films with woc this year.
— Jessica Chastain (@jes_chastain) December 24, 2017
In 12 months there's not even 5?!
— Jessica Chastain (@jes_chastain) December 24, 2017
The 2017 awards season felt like it might have marked the beginning of some positive change for the Hollywood awards game after the #OscarsSoWhite of years past, with Best Supporting Actor going to Mahershala Ali, Best Supporting Actress to Viola Davis, and Best Picture to Moonlight (despite a small mix-up). This year’s awards season scoreboard proves there’s still a long way to go when it comes to diverse storytelling: Just in the Best Actress race, represented by the LA Times by these six women, all 10 Golden Globes nominations and all five SAG nominations have gone to white actresses.
