If you’ve seen even just the poster for Other Mommy, surely the smile of Jessica Chastain will have stuck with you, as reassuring in appearance as it is chilling.
Jessica Chastain and the Eerie Smile of Other Mommy
As a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the Oscar-winning actress explained how she managed to craft that expression, showing the audience the physical and psychological work behind her character.
To portray the mysterious creature at the heart of the film, Jessica Chastain imagined how exhausting it could be for a supernatural entity to maintain human appearance. From this insight arose a forced smile, accompanied by a muscle tension that even reaches the neck. Her face desperately tries to appear friendly, but every muscle tells emotions that are very different.
Jessica Chastain’s Acting Lesson Leaves Jimmy Kimmel Speechless
During the interview, Jessica Chastain decided to concretely show how she achieves that expression. In front of a amused Jimmy Kimmel, the actress tensed the facial muscles, stiffened the neck and flashed the terrifying smile that characterizes her character.
The demonstration reached its most incredible moment when Chastain managed to let a tear fall while maintaining the expression perfectly. When Kimmel asked how she had done it, the actress replied: «I’m a prepared actress, Jimmy!»
Her training at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York played an important role in developing her interpretive abilities. In the past, Chastain had spoken of facing particularly challenging acting exercises, including one that required laughing continuously for ten minutes, exploring the relationship between the body and emotions.
What Is Other Mommy About? The New Horror With Jessica Chastain
Directed by Rob Savage, who previously helmed The Boogeyman, Other Mommy is adapted from the novel Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman.
The story follows an eight-year-old girl, Bela, whose life is turned upside down by the arrival of an unsettling presence she calls Other Mommy. The creature initially surfaces through the darkest corners of the house, gradually taking on an increasingly ominous role in the family’s daily life.
At the core of the tale lies a seemingly innocent question that the mysterious entity repeatedly poses to the girl: can it enter her heart?
With its unnatural smile and an interpretation crafted through meticulous control of the body, Jessica Chastain promises to deliver to the audience one of the most unsettling characters of her career.
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