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Jessica Chastain on blurring gender boundaries

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Jessica Chastain said she’s careful to chose projects that feature strong women
“The Zookeeper’s Wife” debuts in theaters March 31

“I think every woman is a strong woman. I think that in the past, we’ve connected strength, leadership, ambition, power, as masculine traits,” Chastain told CNN in an interview for her upcoming film “The Zookeeper’s Wife.” “We’ve connected compassion and emotion and kindness and softness as feminine traits. The great thing about today is the boundaries are being blurred.”

Chastain said she embraced the mix of gentility and power in her role as Antonina Å»abiÅ„ska in the film, based on the true story of a husband and wife who helped people escape the Holocaust in Warsaw, Poland during World War II.

“It was a great responsibility to play this character. I definitely felt the weight of history. I felt the weight of the family,” Chastain said. “There are incredible examples of women in history who have created paths that we walk on today. Antonina is an example.”

Chastain credits the women in her family for her success.

“I look up to my grandmother and my mother. My mother raised us, she was a single mom, and it was really difficult,” she said. “I’ve seen my grandmother and my mom sacrifice so much for their children. I am where I am today because of the sacrifices they made.”

“They didn’t have the opportunities to go to college and to create these careers,” she continued. “I think because of that, I’m very protective of single mothers out in the world and what they do for their children. I think we should support them as much as we can.”

Chastain hopes that audiences will feel uplifted by “The Zookeeper’s Wife,” despite the horrific time period in which it’s set.

“This is a film that also focuses on the light,” Chastain said. “Yes, there is a dark side of humanity. But, also, there is beauty, love … and those who really stick their neck out to exhibit love and to show compassion.”

“The Zookeeper’s Wife” debuts March 31.

George Clooney is ready for fatherhood

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Clooney and his wife are expecting twins
A pair of names are already off the table

While in Las Vegas at CinemaCon to promote his new film “Suburbicon,” which Clooney directed, he also made time to talk about his growing family with wife Amal.

The first time father told Extra his “amazing” wife is doing well.

“I don’t have anything to do” he said. “There is nothing I can do to help, but make tea and stuff.”

Clooney told E! he couldn’t be more excited.

“I didn’t know that we’d have kids,” he said. “I was very happy that we were going to get married and then [a pregnancy] seemed like the next step.”

Clooney said the couple is shying away from picking names for the twins prior to their birth.

“Because I’ve had friends pick out names around their parents and then it becomes … whatever name you pick they’re like, ‘Oh, I don’t like that,” he said. “That guy’s a prime minister … Can’t name her Susan. ‘You remember your Aunt Susan?'”

There are at least two names that have already been shot down.

“My wife says I can’t name them Casa and Amigos,” Clooney joked to Entertainment Tonight. “That’s the one thing I’m not allowed to do.”

Casamigos is the name of Clooney’s tequila company.

Jessica Chastain on blurring gender boundaries

Story highlights

Jessica Chastain said she’s careful to chose projects that feature strong women
“The Zookeeper’s Wife” debuts in theaters March 31

“I think every woman is a strong woman. I think that in the past, we’ve connected strength, leadership, ambition, power, as masculine traits,” Chastain told CNN in an interview for her upcoming film “The Zookeeper’s Wife.” “We’ve connected compassion and emotion and kindness and softness as feminine traits. The great thing about today is the boundaries are being blurred.”

Chastain said she embraced the mix of gentility and power in her role as Antonina Å»abiÅ„ska in the film, based on the true story of a husband and wife who helped people escape the Holocaust in Warsaw, Poland during World War II.

“It was a great responsibility to play this character. I definitely felt the weight of history. I felt the weight of the family,” Chastain said. “There are incredible examples of women in history who have created paths that we walk on today. Antonina is an example.”

Chastain credits the women in her family for her success.

“I look up to my grandmother and my mother. My mother raised us, she was a single mom, and it was really difficult,” she said. “I’ve seen my grandmother and my mom sacrifice so much for their children. I am where I am today because of the sacrifices they made.”

“They didn’t have the opportunities to go to college and to create these careers,” she continued. “I think because of that, I’m very protective of single mothers out in the world and what they do for their children. I think we should support them as much as we can.”

Chastain hopes that audiences will feel uplifted by “The Zookeeper’s Wife,” despite the horrific time period in which it’s set.

“This is a film that also focuses on the light,” Chastain said. “Yes, there is a dark side of humanity. But, also, there is beauty, love … and those who really stick their neck out to exhibit love and to show compassion.”

“The Zookeeper’s Wife” debuts March 31.