Actress Jessica Chastain thinks President Trump could “learn a thing” about compassion from her upcoming film.
Chastain was in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night for a special screening at the Holocaust Memorial Museum of “The Zookeeper’s Wife.”
The film, adapted from Diane Ackerman’s book, tells the true story of Antonina Zabinski, who, along with her husband, Dr. Jan Zabinski, sheltered 300 Polish Jews at the Warsaw Zoo during World War II.
“I think the more depictions we have, the more recognition of people who have used compassion to push up against hate — the stronger it makes society,” Chastain said at the screening.
“I think nothing would benefit this administration more than seeing a film like this,” she added. “I’m very excited to share Antonina’s message with the world. She was a refugee, fled violence in Russia, found her safe place in Warsaw and then created a sanctuary for others fleeing violence, and it’s a good inspiration for how we should live our lives.”
{mosads}Chastain also said it was important to share a story about a powerful woman.
“A story about a powerful woman is always important,” she said, adding that the film “showcases an incredible woman in our history that had been forgotten.”
“I grew up not learning a lot about women in history. I learned about a lot of men in history, but not women,” said Chastain.
The actress said she wanted to be more visible and someone “little girls can look up to and aspire to be.” And she wanted younger women everywhere to know “they can do anything that they want to do and they can be anything that they want to be.”
Chastain also said being a vegan and a staunch proponent of animal rights allowed her to connect to the film’s main character in a deeper way.
“She was an ordinary woman who did whatever she could to help others and she believed all living things are created equal, all species,” the actress said of Antonina Zabinski. “She lived alongside animals, and that’s really close to my heart.”
“She redefines what it means to be a hero,” she said. “Heroes aren’t just the ones that fight and use aggression. Heroes can also use compassion and fight clean.”
“The Zookeeper’s Wife” opens in theaters March 31.