Dreams Shattered: Jessica Chastain Crushes Hopes of Starring in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Film
In a crushing blow to fans, Jessica Chastain has officially declined the possibility of bringing the beloved character of Celia St. James to life on the big screen. As devotees of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo will know, Celia is the charming lesbian love interest who captures the heart of our glamorous leading lady during her heyday in Old Hollywood. And while Chastain herself has been an outspoken supporter of the book, lining up outside stage doors with an eager copy to sign, she regrettably debunked any chance of taking on the role in the upcoming Netflix adaptation.
“I look forward to watching it,” she remarked to E! News, “and I’m sorry to disappoint everyone out there!”
It’s a letdown that will sting her ardent admirers, many of whom have been campaigning for Chastain’s casting ever since the project was first announced in 2022. With her SECOND Oscar nomination for The Eyes of Tammy Faye fresh under her belt, Chastain has the prestige, talent and box-office draw to embody a Golden Age legend like Evelyn. And her dimensionality as a performer would lend itself beautifully to depicting a complex, progressive romance that was decades ahead of its time. Alas, it appears we must temper our hopes and ready our eyes for some celebratory crying once production gets underway.
Of course, Chastain is no stranger to dodging expectations. On her smash-hit Broadway run of A Doll’s House this past spring, the actress took a principled stand when approached by an eager fan to sign their copy of Reid’s steamy page-turner.
“I can’t sign that, just because I’m not doing it,” she politely demurred in a video that promptly went viral. Later clarifying on social media that she avoids falsely claiming creative credit, Chastain reiterated her stance: “That doesn’t mean I’ve read a bad script.”
So while the Interstellar star won’t be gracing this particular adaptation, she’s still happy to cheer it on from the sidelines, appreciating the “wonderful” fanbase that Reid has built.
“I look forward to watching it,” Chastain repeated to E! News. And frankly, despite the sorrow of her backing out, so do we.
With a script by Life Unexpected creator Liz Tigelaar and Russian Doll’s Leslye Headland attached to direct, the cinematic retelling of Evelyn’s salacious exploits is in more than capable hands. A change in casting, no matter how disappointing, can’t dampen the magnetic pull of Reid’s words, nor diminish the Oscar-worthy performance we expect from whoever ultimately slips into Celia’s stylish pumps.
Of course, Chastain still has her own impressive slate of upcoming roles where her talents will surely captivate. She’s presently making award show rounds for her work in Memory, tipped for more accolades this season. And she’ll soon be seen in Mothers’ Instinct and The Division.
So dry those tears, friends. While we may be losing out on a dream interpretation of Celia St. James, at least we haven’t seen the last of Jessica Chastain on our screens. She shall continue illuminating them with her captivating star power, even without Seven Husbands in her roster. We “look forward to watching it” all unfold in the year ahead!
