Jessica Chastain went on Twitter to explain why she refused to autograph a copy of a novel that she didn’t write.
The Oscar-winning actor was responding to a viral TikTok video that shows her interacting with a fan after a performance of A Doll’s House. Chastain is starring in the Broadway production of the show, currently playing at the Hudson Theatre.
In the video, the fan asks her to sign a copy of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Netflix is developing a film adaptation of the 2017 novel, with Liz Tigelaar (Little Fires Everywhere) writing the script. Fans of the novel have clamored for Chastain to star in the movie, and the actor has signaled that she’s open to the idea.
Chastain tells the fan in the video, “I can’t sign that, just because I’m not doing it.” She then takes a selfie with her.
On Twitter, Chastain explained her refusal to autograph the novel, writing, “I’ve been asked multiple times by fans, to sign books that I’m not attached to contractually. Because it feels wrong, and like [I’m] taking credit for someone else’s work, I’ll say I [can’t] sign because I’m not doing it. That doesn’t mean I’ve read a bad script. I know how excited many [of] you are about adaptations. Please [don’t] read too much into a video. There is no news about anything.”
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.
— Jessica Chastain (@jes_chastain) April 19, 2023
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.