Jessica Chastain has won the Oscars for Best Lead Actress for the movie The Eyes of Tammy Faye. She played the role of Christian televangelist Jim Baker's wife in the film.
During the live broadcast from the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, Chastain garnered applause and thanks to her brilliant co-star Andrew Garfield.
After winning the award, Jessica Chastain said that so many people feel hopeless and lonely and that suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States.
She said that she thinks of Tammy. Chastain said she was inspired by the character's compassion.
Chastain, 45, who won her first Oscar, plays former televangelist personality, Tammy Faye Messner. In the film, her husband Jim Bakker follows a cult on her religious broadcasting network, later imprisoned for fraud and becomes embroiled in a sex scandal.
Tammy Faye's character in the film married a second time and took developer Roe Messner's last name as she rebuilds her reputation through a documentary and reality show before her cancer death in 2007.
However, the film received mixed reviews, with critics crediting Chastain for presenting a subtle, sympathetic portrayal of a man who was such a man.
During her Oscar Speech
Taking to the stage to accept their award wins, both Jessica Chastain and Ariana DeBose made inspiring speeches as they made the most of the platform to send out important messages.
Jessica Chastain who won her first Academy Award spoke about the "discriminatory and bigoted legislation", referring to Florida’s Don’t Say Gay bill.
The actress who won an award for playing televangelist and queer icon Tammy Faye Bakker, in her speech said, "We’re faced with discriminatory and bigoted legislation that is sweeping our country with the only goal of further dividing us.
Violence and hate crimes are being perpetrated on innocent civilians all over the world. And in times like this, I think of Tammy and I’m inspired by her radical acts of love.
We’ve talked about love a lot. And I’m inspired by her compassion, and I see it as a guiding principle that leads us forward."