Hollywood actress Jessica Chastain has responded to the criticism over a recent magazine cover that she featured on, alongside some of the biggest names of the industry.
The actress posed with Margot Robbie, Kate Winslet, Annette Bening, Diane Kruger and Saoirse Ronan on a magazine cover, released by a leading US publication.
Under this image of five blondes and one redhead, the magazine cover had a shocking title of “A Shift in Focus.”
Chastain, who has been outspoken about issues regarding inequality in the past, responded to the criticism in a series of tweets and conceded that the cover was a “sad look”.
The ‘Molly’s Game’ star wrote, “I agree. Major problem is the lack of WOC led films this year and EVERY year. A diverse group can’t come together to promote their films if studios aren’t inclusive in their storytelling. The industry has a lot of work to do, especially for WOC.”
She further added, “It’s a sad look that there’s no WOC in this pic of us promoting our female lead films. The industry needs to become more inclusive in its storytelling. What were your favorite WOC lead films this year? I LOVED @salmahayek in #BeatriceAtDinner.”
Even Twitter was not amused with the cover and the title.
A user wrote, “Honestly @jes_chastain as an outspoken voice for equality how do you pose for a photo like this and not feel absolutely mortified by the blatant exclusion? How is it possible to not understand the msg this photo sends?”
“Very impressed by their commitment to diversity by including a redhead,” wrote another user.
Chastain is an outspoken supporter of women’s rights. Earlier this month, Chastain revealed on the Graham Norton Show that she had been instructed by a prominent actor to “calm down” over her reaction to the Harvey Weinstein scandal.
Back in May, she called the portrayal of women in films ‘disturbing’.
