Jessica Chastain has made a name for herself among the most talented actors working today, and her array of incredible performances has elevated every film she has been a part of. With a talent for portraying complex and interesting female roles, Chastain has worked with some of the greatest directors of modern times and has proved her skills across comedy, drama, sci-fi, and intense thought-provoking thrillers. As an Academy Award-winning performer, Chastain’s ability to take simple characterizations and create dynamic three-dimensional individuals made her stand out among her contemporaries.

From powerfully disturbing psychological thrillers to hugely entertaining box office smashes, Chastain has consistently picked movies that challenged her creativity while building up her reputation among mainstream viewers. Having excelled in movies by directors like Ridley Scott and Christopher Nolan, Chastain has walked the fine line between artistry and movie stardom to achieve success across several metrics. With a career filled with varied roles, the one thing viewers can be sure of with a Jessica Chastain movie is that she’ll give it her all and deliver a fantastic performance.

15 Ava (2020)

Jessica Chastain as Ava Faulkner

In 2020, Jessica Chastain set out to do something very different from all her past roles. She took the role of Ava Faulkner, a former soldier turned assassin who is also a recovering addict. Chastain reunited with director Tate Taylor after the two worked together on The Help for this action thriller about a woman sent on missions to assassinate people for her handler, only to find herself running for her life when an operation goes wrong. The film only received a limited release before dropping on streaming.

Many critics itted that Chastain delivered a great performance in her role as a flawed yet compelling character.

While most critics' reviews were negative, that is actually a normal response to action thrillers of this sort, and many critics itted that Chastain delivered a great performance in her role as a flawed yet compelling character. She also stands out among a large and impressive ing cast that includes John Malkovich, Geena Davis, Colin Farrell, and Common. The film became a success on streaming when it was the most-streamed film on the weekend of its Netflix release (via IndieWire).

14 Mother's Instinct (2024)

Jessica Chastain as Alice

In 2024, Jessica Chastain teamed with Anne Hathaway for the psychological thriller Mothers' Instinct. The film saw Anne Hathaway star as Céline, a woman whose son died when he fell from her rooftop. She partially blames her neighbor Alice (Chastain), who couldn't get to her house in time to warn her that she saw her son in danger. After the death, Céline then grows close to Alice's son (who is close to the same age as her own dead son), and eventually, Alice realizes that Céline might be a danger to all around her.

This is a very dark thriller with a disturbing twist at the end, and Hathaway and Chastain carry the film to its shocking conclusion. Critics gave the film mixed reviews, with many complaining that it didn't know what kind of story it wanted to tell - a dark noir or a melodrama. However, most critics agreed that Chastain and Hathaway delivered fantastic performances, with Chastain taking on the more difficult role of the mother who was unsure of how to deal with her life falling apart around her.

13 The Good Nurse (2022)

Jessica Chastain as Amy Loughren

In 2022, Jessica Chastain starred as Amy Loughren in this based-on-a-true-story thriller. Adapted from the novel by Charles Graeber (The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder), Amy is a nurse who works in an ICU in New Jersey who suffers from cardiomyopathy but hides it from her superiors because she worries it could cost her the job and she is a single mother trying to make ends meet. However, things go badly when a new nurse named Charles (Eddie Redmayne) arrives.

When patients start dying, Amy begins to suspect that Charles might be responsible, but she has become friends with him and finds herself in a tough spot when police detectives demand that she help them, or he could continue to kill. The film was released on Netflix after a limited theatrical release, and it received mostly praise from critics for both Chastain and Redmayne's performances. Redmayne earned a Golden Globe nomination, and Chastain received a Satellite Award nomination.

12 Memory (2023)

Jessica Chastain as Sylvia

Memory is a 2023 drama film with Jessica Chastain starring as Sylvia, a single mother and social worker. The film follows her relationship with Saul (Peter Sarsgaard), a man facing early-onset dementia. The movie, directed by Michel Franco (After Lucia), deals with their complicated relationship after they meet following a high school reunion. Saul becomes transfixed on her, and she soon learns he cannot recall or create memories. Sylvia accepts the job of caring for him during the day.

The movie tackles hard subjects, including mental health issues for Saul and the repressed trauma from Sylvia's childhood, and the story gives no easy answers to how these characters can deal with the problems. Critics praised the film, awarding it an 85% fresh Rotten Tomatoes score, with powerhouse performances by both Chastain and Sarsgaard. Sarsgaard won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice International Film Festival, and Chastain was nominated for Best Lead Performance by the Independent Spirit Awards.

11 Crimson Peak (2015)

Jessica Chastain as Lucille Sharpe

Jessica Chastain ed the Guillermo del Toro gothic romance Crimson Peak in 2015. The movie stars Mia Wasikowska as Edith Cushing, a young author who falls in love with an English baronet named Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston). After her father's murder, Edith marries Thomas and moves into his mansion, where Thomas and his sister Lucille live. Once there, Edith believes something is wrong and starts having nightmares and encountering ghosts in the house.

It is an interesting turn for Chastain as the story's villain, and she is spectacular in her performance opposite the more innocent and gullible Wasikowska's Edith.

Chastain plays Lucille, Thomas's sister, and someone who is increasingly jealous of her brother's romance with Edith. It is an interesting turn for Chastain as the story's villain, and she is spectacular in her performance opposite the more innocent and gullible Wasikowska's Edith. The movie ended up disappointing at the box office, but it did receive positive reviews, with critics praising the atmosphere and Del Toro's direction. Chastain won Best ing Actress at the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards and Saturn Awards.

10 IT Chapter Two (2019)

Jessica Chastain as Beverly "Bev" Marsh

Jessica Chastain was perfectly cast as the grown-up version of Bev Marsh, a role she took over from then-teen actor Sophia Lillis, to whom she bore a striking resemblance. Set 27 years after the Loser’s Club had successfully defeated the terrifying being known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, IT Chapter Two didn’t quite live up to the expectations set by its predecessor, but still stood as a thrilling conclusion to Stephen King’s terrifying horror epic. As a faithful adaptation, Bill Skarsgård was once again in top form as he imbued his villainous character with a disturbing aura.

As a star-studded supernatural story, IT Chapter Two featured a strong performance from Chastain but also suffered from a bloated runtime and some pacing issues. As Bev, Chastain portrayed the ways that childhood abuse and a difficult upbringing carried forward into her adult years as the cycle repeated itself when she found herself in an abusive marriage. IT Chapter Two was an insightful look at the ways that trauma can manifest itself with a poignant message about the enduring power of friendship and connection.

9 Miss Sloane (2016)

Jessica Chastain as Madeline "Elizabeth" Sloane

With a truly exceptional performance, Miss Sloane stood as perhaps Jessica Chastain’s most underrated movie. As a tense and entertaining political thriller that bombed at the box office, Miss Sloane deserved far more recognition as Chastain single-handedly carried this film forward with her spellbinding role of Elizabeth Sloane. Set in the cutthroat world of political lobbying, the workaholic Sloane was the most sought-after lobbyist in Washington, D.C., who found herself working for an intensely powerful client, only to wonder if winning may come at too high of a price.

Miss Sloane was a tense, dialogue-heavy thriller that once again showcased Chastain as among the most talented actors currently working in Hollywood.

Miss Sloane was a tense, dialogue-heavy thriller that once again showcased Chastain as among the most talented actors currently working in Hollywood. With an ability to get the best out of every scene, Chastain highlighted the tangled mess of United States politics that constituted shady behind-the-scenes deals and cunning double-crossing at every corner. Miss Sloane was a smart and uncompromising thriller that shone a light on the messy connections between politics and big business.

8 The Help (2011)

Jessica Chastain as Celia Rae Foote

Jessica Chastain received her first nomination for the Academy Award for Best ing Actress for her excellent turn in The Help. As Celia Rae Foote, Chastain played an outcast pregnant woman who struggled to find friendship amid her socialite peers and suffered a miscarriage after her shotgun wedding. Chastain perfectly captured Celia’s desire to fit in and the pain of being ostracized because she married the manipulative Hilly’s (Bryce Dallas Howard) ex-boyfriend.

While The Help highlighted the woes and unknown struggles of white suburban 1960s housewives, its true power was the way it recounted the professional struggles and racist discrimination faced by Black domestic workers simply known as “the help.” Based on a novel by Kathryn Stockett, The Help was an entertaining and emotional look at racial injustice set amid the burgeoning civil rights movement. As a powerful and, at times, touching look at the need for social change, The Help could have delved deep into its racial themes but remained a crowd-pleasing success nonetheless.

7 A Most Violent Year (2015)

Jessica Chastain as Anna Morales

The assured crime drama A Most Violent Year starred Jessica Chastain alongside Oscar Isaac in a complex narrative that oozed 1980s style. Chastain played Anna Morales, the wife of a New York fuel supplier who was overwhelmed by violence, corruption, and decay amid the fear of losing his crumbling business. With the same dark reflection of America’s sinister hidden underbelly as classic movies like Goodfellas, A Most Violent Year deserved far more recognition than it ever received.

With strong visuals, well-chosen period music, and exceptional performances, A Most Violent Year was yet another astounding showcase of talent from Chastain.

Chastain was an essential addition to the talented cast of A Most Violent Year, as she helped elevate this gripping and thought-provoking urban crime drama. While A Most Violent Year may be slow-moving at times, it was never dull, as its steady pacing allowed for more depth and pathos to emerge out of its neo-gangster narrative of corruption. With strong visuals, well-chosen period music, and exceptional performances, A Most Violent Year was yet another astounding showcase of talent from Chastain.

6 The Martian (2015)

Jessica Chastain as Commander Melissa Lewis

While it’s true that The Martian's success came down to Matt Damon’s incredible performance, as it was essentially a one-man show about a stranded astronaut, praise must also be given to Jessica Chastain for her ing role as Melissa Lewis. With Damon as Dr. Mark Watney, a botanist who must survive four years on Mars with only a few weeks worth of food, The Martian was a thrilling sci-fi adaptation of the excellent novel by Andy Weir. Although Watney was presumed dead after an evacuation went wrong, hope remained when he was able to his commander, played by Chastain.

The Martian was a true late-career highlight in the work of Ridley Scott, which proved after previous works like Alien and Blade Runner he still had what it took to deliver exceptional sci-fi films. But what made The Martian so appealing was its sense of scientific realism, as Watney used his botany skills to grow potatoes and find a way to live. As a smart, thrilling, and at times hilarious movie, The Martian showcased Chastain’s skills in a ing role.