Jessica Chastain says she wasn’t trying to make a “political statement” when she wore a mask at awards shows last season.
THE zero dark thirty star, 46, shared at The Hollywood Reporter‘s annual Tony Nominees Roundtable which she received criticism after she was spotted at several award shows wearing a face mask to avoid contracting COVID-19 as she tackled the lead role on Broadway in the emblematic piece of Henrik Ibsen, A doll’s house.
“We were testing every day on our show, and even if you had no symptoms, if you tested positive for COVID, you were out for a week – and I was meeting people at the stage door who are came from Shanghai and came from all over the world. Being absent from the series for a week? It just felt like it was so irresponsible,” said Chastain, who received a Tony Award nomination for his role.
But not everyone understands his instinct to take precautions.
“So I wore the mask at the Oscars. I got a lot of flak for that. A lot of people thought I was making a political statement. I don’t know what they were thinking,” she shared with the group. .
Josh Groban, who also took part in the roundtable, interrupted him, saying, “The theater people knew. We knew.”
“Well, okay, fine,” Chastain replied. “I’ll tell you, the best thing is someone at the stage door gave me a mask that said, ‘I’m on Broadway.’ But yeah, the SAG Awards, the Oscars, a lot of people were saying : ‘What are you doing ?!’ I just couldn’t get sick. And I didn’t. I didn’t miss a show.”
In January at the Golden Globe Awards, a Twitter user posted a photo of Chastain in her mask, which matched her sparkling silver dress, along with a legend which said “and you know who didn’t get COVID at the Golden Globes?”
Chastain retweeted the post, adding “Phew!”
While walking the Golden Globes red carpet, Chastain explain his reasoning for masking up at the big party.
“I’m doing a play right now in New York. I will do A doll’s house. I’m playing Nora,” she shared. “I’m really excited about it. I’m a little afraid of getting sick but I have my mask, I do both. But you also have to be very careful in the theater because I don’t want to let my cast down.”
Several other stars caught the virus after the awards show, including Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Chastain also paired her Gucci gown with a black mask at the Oscars, though she appeared unmasked on the red carpet and at the Best Actress awards show.