Jessica Chastain Plays To Win

With two new films and six more in the works, this newlywed actress is hollywood’s sure bet.

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Jessica Chastain is having a banner year. Her latest feature, Molly’s Game — based on the true story of a woman who ran high-stakes poker games that attracted actors and mobsters, and eventually the FBI — will be in theaters Dec. 25 and is already getting Oscar buzz. In next year’s Woman Walks Ahead, she plays Catherine Weldon, a 19th-century Brooklyn artist who traveled to the Dakotas to paint Sitting Bull’s portrait. And in June, Jessica married her love of five years, 35-year-old Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo, at his family’s estate north of Venice (see sidebar). The actress, 40, opens up about staying authentic, finding happiness and her “magical” bachelorette party.

You filmed Woman Walks Ahead in New Mexico. Was it as beautiful as it looks?