Jessica Chastain Shares Rare Comment About Her Daughter, 4, Involving 'Shocking' Career Advice

Jessica Chou for Marie Claire

Jessica Chastain is opening up about an important conversation she had with her little girl.

Speaking to Marie Claire as the cover star for the magazine's digital Holiday Issue, the actress recalled a recent chat she had with daughter Guiletta, 4, during which Chastain gave her advice as they talked about what her little one wants to be when she grows up.

Chastain, 45, is very private about the two young children she shares with husband Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo, seldom sharing details about her kids.

"Normally I never talk about my personal life. But I had a conversation with my daughter not that long ago," she began. "And when you're talking to kids it's like, 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' 'I want to be a ballerina.' And she was like, 'I want to be a mama.' And I was like, 'That's a great thing to be. But you know, you can be more than one thing.' She's like, 'What do you mean?'"

"I said, 'Well, look at me, honey. I'm a mama. I'm an actress. I'm a producer. I'm a business owner. I'm a friend. I'm a cook.' I started listing all these things," Chastain continued. "Like, I am many things, so you can be whatever you want."

"You can be the president. You can be a ballerina. You can be a mama. And it was so shocking for her to hear all of this," she added.

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Jessica Chou for Marie Claire

RELATED: Jessica Chastain Says 'The 335' Set Had a Kids Trailer for Working Moms: 'Everyone Feels Empowered'

Chastain has previously spoken about wanting to empower working moms, even making sure one of her past movie sets was an environment that was suitable for those balancing parenthood and their career.

Chastain produced the action-packed spy movie The 355 — costarring alongside Diane Kruger, Lupita Nyong'o, Penélope Cruz and Fan Bingbing — and opened up to Entertainment Tonight earlier this year about allowing the parents on set to have the support they need.

Jessica Chou for Marie Claire

The actress said the 335 set had a trailer just for children so that members of the cast, specifically the mothers, didn't have to choose between their careers and parenthood.

"I love bringing families on set," Chastain told the outlet. "We had a trailer that was for children, and so how wonderful that, yes we can be successful and wonderful at our work, but we can also not have to shut down part of our life in order to do so."

"And I think for the longest time it's been like, you're either a career woman or you're home. It's like, there's no such thing," she added. "Men have been able to do both for years. Let's just make it possible for everyone."