Jessica Chastain’s dedication to her craft has come with a price to her health.
The 44-year-old actress recently finished filming her portrayal of late televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker in a new biopic entitled “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.”
Listen to your favorite music now on Audacy
Recreating Baker’s severe look required putting on heavy makeup and prosthetics which Chastain believes has caused her “permanent damage.”
“I think for sure I’ve done some permanent damage to my skin on this,” she told the LA Times. “Listen, I eat very pure and I take very good care of my skin and I stay out of the sun and all that stuff. But it’s heavy. And when you’re wearing it all day every day — the weight of it on your body, it stretches your skin out.”
Chastain described the grueling process which would take more than 7 hours a day.
“I got to set and I was so panicky. I started to have hot flashes because it’s so heavy and hot,” she added. “I was afraid. It was like going on a long-distance flight every day. Because if it takes seven and a half hours to put on, it’s going to take at least two hours to get off. It was concerning to me.”
She continued: “I was worried about my circulation. By the time I got on set that first day that was seven and a half hours, I was like, ‘I have no energy left.’ And she’s supposed to show up with so much energy.”
In June, Chastain shared photos of her transformation into Baker which left her looking almost unrecognizable.
In the first snap, Chastain is decked out in a blonde wig and heavy eye makeup to capture Tammy Faye’s quintessential look, while wearing a fuzzy pink robe in bed.
Other photos showed her singing, taping an episode of the Christian series “The PTL Club,” as well as a first look at “The Amazing Spider-Man” star Andrew Garfield as Tammy Faye’s first husband Jim Bakker.
"The Eyes of Tammy Faye," which is based on the 2000 documentary of the same name, will center on how Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker built a multi-million dollar empire from their Christian television show, which collapsed in the aftermath of Jim’s financial and sex scandals.
Tammy Faye passed away in 2007 from colon cancer at the age of 65.
"The Eyes of Tammy Faye” is set to be released in theaters on September 17.
Lights, camera, action! Get the latest updates on movies and television from The Reel Buzz on Audacy.com.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram