"There's something about Tammy Faye that says what is different about you is what is special about you."
Tammy Faye Messner (formerly Bakker) and Oscar-nominated actress Jessica Chastain aren't usually thought of in the same breath. "I'm so obsessed with her. I studied her for 10 years." That work culminated in The Eyes of Tammy Faye (in theaters September 17), which Chastain also produced. "Every day I was like, I may get laughed at," but eventually she realized that's exactly how Tammy Faye felt. "She thought, they're gonna make fun of me. I'm gonna do it anyway." To get through some of the scenes, particularly the live singing, Chastain turned to liquid courage. "My assistant had a bag filled with whiskey. I was so embarrassed to sing in front of people, but that's what got me through it." For Chastain, the ultimate takeaway she hopes people get from the film is how inclusive Tammy Faye was. "At a time when the government wouldn't even say AIDS and communities were dying, here's this woman in this world run by white men. She's saying Christians are supposed to love everyone and yet, we're so afraid of an AIDS patient? She was really out there and radical and cool and actually speaking what faith is supposed to be."
Tammy Faye is seen as so over-the-top. How did you find the right balance?
I love that she lived larger than life in every aspect: her clothing, her voice and how silly she was. Everything was like, "I'm going to take up as much space as I can boys. So get ready." I just love that about her. But also I don't want it to ever look like I'm making fun of her. Right? That would be terrible. Certain things I literally took straight from her mouth. Like when she says, "I'm not a drug addict." And then she goes, "Well, I am addicted to Diet Coke." That literally came from an interview she gave about how she's not a drug addict. It's genius. And the Gary Paxton scene. As it was written, I was like, "It's crazy and silly." And then I just thought she's a woman who has not been seen in a very long time by a man and told that she's beautiful and special. So what happens when she is told that? We kind of let that emotion of what it feels like to be desired take over. And so then when the silliness happens, it kind of balances things because it's based in something real.
How emotionally connected did you feel to Tammy Faye in the process?
I love her. I'm so obsessed with her. I'm so sad I never met her. I studied her for 10 years. I read all of her books. I read her son Jay Bakker's book. I read every book, watched every single footage and TV thing I could find. I watched all the stuff Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey [executive producers] gave me that they didn't use in the documentary. I watched The Surreal Life, which is heaven!
It really was an amazing moment in pop culture.
I'm obsessed. I think I've watched her make fudge on television three different times. [laughs]
Considering it's certainly not a typical character for you, how did you first come to think you could play Tammy Faye?
I was on the press tour for Zero Dark 30 and I was jet-lagged and the documentary was on TV. I had seen it before. I was like, "Wait a minute, this could not be more different than what I've just done." Everyone sees me one way. There's also the challenge of the voice. It's so much higher than mine, the accent, the singing, the preaching, the physicality, embarrassing myself every single day. There's nothing about Tammy that she was ever cool. [laughs] That Steve Pieters interview [an AIDS patient Tammy Faye interviewed on the PTL Network] to me was something. Like, it's about time we as a society stop talking about how much mascara she was wearing, and start talking about what she actually did. At a time when the government wouldn't even say AIDS and communities were dying, here's this woman, a televangelist in this world run by white men and she's bringing Steve Pieters on her show. She's saying Christians are supposed to love everyone and yet, we're so afraid of an AIDS patient that we won't put our arms around them and tell them that we care? For me, it was like this woman was punk rock. She was really out there and radical and cool and actually speaking what faith is supposed to be.
Speaking of, Tammy Faye resonated with the queer community in unexpected ways. Was that part of your research, and why do you think that was?
I definitely know how special she is to the queer community. It's why I put, at the end of the film, when she's preaching in the middle of that song, it's her actual words. She says having faith that talks about the grace of God and she said, "God reached down and said, 'Tammy Faye, I love you, and I love you just the way you are. God's grace is sufficient enough for you today and he loves you just the way you are.'" For me, there's something about Tammy Faye that says what is different about you is what is special about you. Truly, go out there and love and be unapologetic. She had the fearlessness of a drag queen, and I wish I had that. Every day I was like, I may get laughed at but also I'm gonna live to be who I am and I'm gonna be expressive and I'm going to be creative, and I'm going to take up space in this world, and I'm going to love and I'm deserving of those things. I wonder if that's why so many people connected to her?
You touched on something that I've always believed, Tammy Faye really is a drag icon. Considering that, how did drag influence your performance?
It was every day. For me, I am someone, sadly, I constantly am getting embarrassed. I get embarrassed when people sing happy birthday to me! I feel shy when people look at me. It's strange that I chose this profession, but when I go on stage and do theater, I need someone to push me on the stage because I'm so nervous. And when I did this, it's the only time this has ever happened to me on a film, but the very first day of shooting I got on set and my whole body was convulsing. I was shaking. My voice was shaking. I'm thinking in my head, "Everyone's gonna make fun of me. What have I done? I'm swinging for the fences here and they're gonna laugh at me and they're gonna make fun of me." And what I did—which is so crazy, because it's so not me—before the first take, I said, "Come on, let's do a prayer.'"And I had everyone hold hands. I did a prayer as Tammy Faye Bakker. I was like, I need to throw myself into this. We're not playing here. I gotta get to the point of yeah, people are gonna make fun of me, but who cares? And I realized that that's what she felt every day. She thought they're gonna laugh at me. They're gonna make fun of me. I'm gonna do it anyway. That's why she's so strong. And that's why she was a joy to play.
How did you prepare to perform the musical numbers with all those prosthetics on?
Dave Cobb worked on all the music. Dave Cobb! Who did A Star is Born with Lady Gaga. I was out of my mind! I was like, "Look, I'm not Lady Gaga. This is so out of my comfort zone." My assistant had a bag and it was filled with whiskey. I just drank whiskey. I was so embarrassed to sing in front of people, but that's what got me through it.
What era of Tammy Faye did you respond to most?
The '90s with the crazy dark red hair and the leopard print with the red jacket, I loved that. I also love that crazy big curly wig she had. Do you remember?
Oh yes, it lives rent-free in my mind. The '80s Christmas one!
I mean, she's wearing that little Christmas outfit with those curls. Those two were my favorite.
What do you hope people take from the film?
What would make me super happy is if people saw the film and then realize they are worthy of love and compassion. No matter where they come from, no matter if they feel the darkness inside, if they feel pain inside. A lot of people feel the sense of not being worthy, and Tammy Faye really reached out and said, "You are deserving of grace, and no one is to be discarded." That, to me, is a very important lesson. This idea that those who could have been brought up feeling that they were alone, to know that they're not, that they're all in God's grace, and they're all connected through love.
Considering the level of glam and hair and makeup, you're basically prepared to be a drag queen. Are you ready for RuPaul's Drag Race?
If I was drinking whiskey on the first day [of filming], can you imagine what my purse would look like if I showed up on Drag Race? [laughs] I just have to say one of my favorite things I've ever seen is Andrew Garfield on Drag Race. Have you seen that? He does that kind of turn thing.
He does a runway pose better than any straight man I've ever seen. But that could be you!
Honey, I need some help. I'd really need to pull up the spirit of Tammy Faye. As I said, I get super embarrassed even when people sing me happy birthday. So for me to do something like that, I'd need a mentor.
