In the film “The Help” Octavia Spencer knows her way around a kitchen better than anyone. However, in real life, Jessica Chastain is the one with the real cooking skills.
Before Chastain appeared for an interview with Katie Couric, Spencer sent over a note that said, “Jessica, I hope that since starring on Broadway and getting your second Oscar nomination… you haven’t gotten too busy to cook me another delicious vegan, soul food meal! All of the accolades you’ve received this year are so deserved and couldn’t have happened to a better person!!! Love ya, Octavia.”
Upon hearing the note, Chastain, a longtime vegan, responded, “You know what’s so funny about the movie (The Help) is Minnie (Spencer’s maid character) teaches Celia (Chastain) how to cook and Celia’s such a disaster… That shows how great an actress Octavia is, because you really think she knows how to cook. That woman knows nothing about cooking at all! And she’s not a vegan, but she so didn’t know how to cook that she would come over to my house to eat vegan food!”
It was reported that the fried chicken eaten on set was actually vegan to accomodate Chastain’s animal-free diet. It’s nice to see that Octavia also appreciated the plant based foods.
Chastain is up for best actress at this year’s Oscars for her role in “Zero Dark Thirty”.
About Ali Berman
Ali Berman is the author of Choosing a Good Life: Lessons from People Who Have Found Their Place in the World (Hazelden) and Misdirected (Seven Stories Press). She works as a humane educator for HEART teaching kids about issues affecting people, animals and the environment. Her published work can be found on her website at aliberman.com. In early 2012 Ali co-founded flipmeover, a production company with the mission to use media to raise awareness of social issues.View all posts by Ali Berman →
