Jessica Chastain Recalls Childhood Of Eating Banana Peels To Gain Attention

"George & Tammy" actress Jessica Chastain recently reflected on her childhood and how she had to do some unusual things to get attention from other children. The Oscar-winning actress is known for starring in feminist-themed films like "Molly's Game," "Miss Sloane" and several others.

Chastain's growing list of accolades is particularly impressive because the actress did not have the leg up that most stars do. Chastain, currently married to Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo with two children, came from a large impoverished household. She was able to attend Julliard in the late 1990s after receiving support from a currently deceased benefactor.

Read on to learn more.

In a December 10 interview with The Guardian, Chastain looked back on her younger years and how she craved attention from people so much that she ate unconventional meals to pique their interest. During the interview, "The Help" star described herself as an "obnoxious" child.

Chastain recalled, "I was an obnoxious kid because I wasn't getting appropriate attention. I would do things like eat banana peels in the lunch rooms so kids would notice me."

"I wasn't good with homework because I'd watch TV – soap operas – all day when I got home," she added. The actress also talked about her grades while in school and how much it had affected how she saw herself growing up.

"I had always thought that I wasn't an intelligent person because I did badly at school," Chastain said. The "A Most Violent Year" star revealed that although she had issues with her grades and the school curriculum, a part of it changed her life.

The actress recalled a school trip at 15 where she saw a Shakespeare play which altered the course of her life. Chastain said, "There was a trip to the Oregon Shakespeare festival, and I saw Marco Barricelli play Richard III. Something opened up inside me. It was the strangest thing that I could be so moved. I had the hugest crush on that actor. I became obsessed with Shakespeare."

According to Chastain, she was fascinated with the play and author so much that she became deeply immersed in Shakespeare. She started reading books her grandmother originally bought as ornaments, one of which was the complete works of the famed writer.

"I became obsessed with Shakespeare. My grandma had just bought these ornamental books – she liked design, and these books weren't meant to be read. They just sat on the shelf to look good. And one was the complete works of Shakespeare. I still have it. To me, it's very sentimental," the actress said per The Guardian.

Chastain's love for Shakespeare led her to play Juliet in her local theatre group twice, which according to her, was her favorite character. "Romeo's a bit weak, but Juliet tells the friar, 'You married us. It's your fault, and if you don't fix it, I'm going to kill myself, and that's going to be your fault, too. Do something!'" the actress said.

"Something just opened up in me; I wanted to do that," she added. Chastain revealed that while playing the role, she felt understood in a way she had never been. "It felt like someone understood me in a different way."

"I can get emotional talking about it. It's like you're not being seen. Then all of a sudden, someone who was alive years ago sees you," she added. The boy who acted as Romeo in her play eventually convinced Chastij to apply to Julliard. The actress received a scholarship with the late Robin Williams as her sponsor, allowing her to attend the prestigious acting school.

In the same interview with The Guardian, Chastain revealed that she never got around to graduating from high school, a fact that no one in her house seemed to notice. The actress attended El Camino Fundamental High School in Sacramento but dropped out before getting her diploma.

According to Chastain, no one in her family tried to stop her from leaving school to become an actress. She recalled, "My sister was having a lot of difficulties, and everyone was very stressed. So the focus was on that. When I didn't graduate, no one even noticed."

Despite dropping out of high school, Chastain continued her education and earned an adult diploma which she used to attend Sacramento City College from 1996 to 1997. The actress moved on to the American Academy Of Dramatic Arts in 1998 and graduated from Julliard in 2003.