Who are Jessica Chastain's parents? Oscar nominee opens up on rough upbringing and financial troubles 

American actress Jessica Chastain has opened up about her troubled childhood and monetary struggles.

In an interview with The Times, the 44-year-old actress talked about how coming from a poverty-stricken background has shaped her as a person:

"When people see me, I think they expect a different background than I have."

As per the outlet, Chastain and her four siblings were raised by her single mother. Since her mother became pregnant with Jessica while she was a teenager, her family often faced financial hardships.

Chastain wanted to pursue acting. She had to work at a performing arts studio in lieu of classes, which her family could not afford. The Molly's Game actress later enrolled at the prestigious Julliard School in New York, where she studied acting.

The mother-of-two also credited the people she had around her at the performing arts studio for helping her reach where she is now.

"There were people that saw I was struggling as a kid and they helped me. And that's why I ended up where I am now."

Chastain began her career in 2004 with television series ER, where she played a guest role. Jessica Chastain has been pretty open about her childhood struggles. She talked about how her mother worked very hard to put food on the table. However, the 44-year-old remained estranged from her now-deceased biological father.

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Who are Jessica Chastain's parents?

Jessica Chastain was born in 1977 to 16-year-old high school student Jessi Chastain and 20-year-old aspiring musician Michael Monasterio. Her mother, who remarried firefighter Michael Hastey, is a vegan chef in Northern California.

In 1979, the couple had a second daughter, Juliet Chastain, but soon after her birth, Jerri took the children and left Monasterio. It was at this point that Jessica's relationship with her biological father began to deteriorate.

As per the Daily Mail, Monasterio isn't listed as the father on the celebrity's birth certificate, and they don't even have a photo of them together. Jessica and her sister had it tough growing up with a young, single mother, and their family barely managed to get by.

News organization Radar reported that Jessica Chastain has never publicly acknowledged Monasterio as her biological father, but has publicly thanked her stepfather, Hastey.

As per the Daily Mail, Monasterio passed away in 2013 after suffering from bronchitis. The outlet also reported that Monasterio was heartbroken that Chastain had never mentioned his existence.

Reports also suggest that Chastain did not attend her biological father's memorial service in 2013.