Jessica Chastain will not be stepping into the shoes of Celia St. James. Following months of fan castings, the actress has confirmed that there is “zero possibility” she will star in Netflix’s film adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s 2017 best-selling novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
“But I love how excited the fans are,” Chastain, who can next be seen in the upcoming film Memory, told E! News. “When I was working on Broadway, every single day, they’d be outside, when I was signing, with the books. I just love how wonderful that fan base is…I look forward to watching it and I’m sorry to disappoint everyone out there!”
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Released in 2017, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo centers around the fictional Old Hollywood star Evelyn Hugo, who at the age of 79 gives her final interview to Monique Grant, a little-known journalist. The story details Hugo’s life in Hollywood and her seven various husbands, as well as her one true, and secret, love, fellow actress Celia St. James.
Ever since Netflix first confirmed back in March 2022 that it would be adapting the novel into a film with Liz Tigelaar (Little Fires Everywhere) penning the screenplay and Leslye Headland attached as director, fans have been hoping to see Chastain take on the role of Celia. During a January appearance on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live!, Chastain sparked hope when, asked by host Andy Cohen if she was aware of the fancasts, she confirmed that she was while also adding, “I do know there is an online thing about it. Sure, send me a script.” However, some of that hope was squashed just months later when Chastain told a fan she couldn’t sign an Evelyn Hugo book “just because I’m not doing it.”
“I’ve been asked multiple times by fans, to sign books that I’m not attached to contractually. Because it feels wrong, and like Im taking credit for someone else’s work, I’ll say I cant sign because I’m not doing it. That doesn’t mean I’ve read a bad script,” she later explained on X (formerly Twitter). “I know how excited many you are about adaptations. Please dont read too much into a video. There is no news about anything. Except that I’m onstage until June 10th. Hope to see you.”
At this time, there is little information about the upcoming movie, including its cast. In March, Jenkins Reid did tease that there was a “short list of women” for the roles of Evelyn and Celia, though casting announcements haven’t yet been made. Jenkins Reid and Tigelarr also confirmed at the time that the script was complete and was “now in the hands of the people who are going to make it, and I am so proud of it.”
