The 94th Academy Awards were held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles on March 27th, 2022, where actress Jessica Chastain won an Oscar for her brilliant performance in "The Eyes of Tammy Faye."
Jessica Chastain portrayed the character of Tammy Faye in the movie The Eyes of Tammy Faye, which included Tammy Faye’s controversial marriage to televangelist Jim Bakker, portrayed by Andrew Garfield, and Tammy Faye’s support for LGBTQ+ rights. Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker had people following them on their religious broadcasting network before the televangelist was involved in a sex scandal and fraud and was eventually sent to prison.
Michael Showalter directed the movie, and the movie received a positive response from the audience, especially when the performances of Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield were highly appreciated.
The actress was presented the award by Anthony Hopkins and was up against actresses including Nicole Kidman, Kristen Stewart, Olivia Colman, and Penélope Cruz. Jessica Chastain, during her acceptance speech, found the right opportunity to draw the attention of the audience towards suicide and how it has impacted her, members of the LGBTQ community, and various families.
Jessica said that we, as a community, are coming out of a difficult time that has been filled with love, trauma, and isolation related to the pandemic. She added that we, as a community, face discriminatory and bigoted legislation that leads to only one goal, which is dividing everyone. The actress added that violence and hate crimes are being perpetrated on innocent people all over the world, and during such times, she thinks of Tammy Faye.
Jessica Chastain added that she is highly inspired by Tammy Faye’s radical acts of love and her passion for the people who have inspired her and guided her to move forward and connect with everyone, especially with love and kindness. The Scenes of Marriage actress mentioned that she is guided by Tammy Faye’s light and desire because she wants the world to accept people for who they are, who they love, and how they choose to live their lives without thinking or being afraid of the violence and crimes.
The brilliant actress finally added that if anyone out there is feeling hopeless or alone, she wants to tell him or her that they are being loved unconditionally for the way they are. She added that your uniqueness makes you who you are. Jessica thanked co-star Andrew Garfield, who was sitting in the audience cheering for her, for his support and comfort on the sets as Jim Bakker and Andrew.
Jessica Chastain, who won the Oscar for the first time, had previously mentioned in her interviews that she was very inspired by Tammy Faye and wanted the audience to see her true value, which was beyond her husband’s (Jim Bakker) mistake and crime. The actress added that Tammy Faye always made it her life’s mission that people should understand and be grateful for being alive.
Jessica Chastain’s exceptional performance as Tammy Faye has already won her the Critics' Choice Award and Screen Actors Guild Awards this year. She was very excited about her third nomination for the Academy Award and told People for People’s 2022 Oscar Portfolio that she reached out to all the actresses who were nominated with her to congratulate them. Jessica sent flowers to everyone and wanted to celebrate the moment of being nominated with incredible women.
It was also revealed that Jessica Chastain had wanted to make a movie about Tammy Faye for a decade after she watched a documentary about Tammy Faye early in her career. She bought the rights and shared that she had been waiting for a long time to see this happen, and now when she sees people appreciating Tammy Faye for her work and Jessica Chastain for portraying her so well, she feels thrilled and excited. Jessica had mentioned that as soon as she started doing her research, she fell in love with everything Tammy Faye stood for.
Jessica Chastain stepped on the red carpet in a stunning lilac Gucci gown that had a sequenced bronze plunging neckline. The actress complemented her outfit with diamond drop earrings and a statement ring and decided to pull up her hair in a sleepy high ponytail.
Congratulations, Jessica Chastain!
