Jessica Chastain.Photo: Neilson Barnard/Getty
Jessica Chastainis a first-time winner at theAcademy Awards!
The Eyes of Tammy Fayeactress, 45, clinched the statuette for Best Actress at the 94th Oscars on Sunday, and took the stage to accept the honor from presenterAnthony Hopkins.
In her acceptance speech, Chastain drew attention to the seriousness of suicide as something that"has touched many families," including hers, “and especially members of theLGBTQ community, who oftentimes feel out of place with their peers.”
“We’re faced withdiscriminatory and bigoted legislationthat is sweeping our country, with the only goal of further dividing us,” she said. “There’s violence and hate crimes being perpetuated on innocent civilians all over the world.”
For more on the 2022 Oscars, listen below to our daily podcast on PEOPLE Every Day.
“And for any of you out there who do, in fact, feel hopeless or alone, I just want you to know that you are unconditionally loved for the uniqueness that is you,” she said.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
Jessica Chastain.Emma McIntyre/Getty
Chastain gave a transformative performance inThe Eyes of Tammy Faye, which also starsAndrew Garfieldas her PTL co-founder husband Jim.
The Michael Showalter–directed biopic takes audiences throughTammy Faye Bakker’s faith-filled life, andChastain told PEOPLEin September 2021 that she hopes that 35 years after PTL’s downfall, it will help audiences “to see her value beyond her husband’s salacious mistakes and crime.”
“She always made it her mission that everyone understood she was grateful that they were alive,” Chastain said of the televangelist. “That’s a beautiful gift to give.”
Sunday’s win marks Chastain’s first Oscar after two previous nominations, for her roles inThe Help(2011) andZero Dark Thirty(2012). She also took home theCritics Choice Awardand Screen Actors Guild Award for her portrayal of Bakker.
RELATED VIDEO: 2022 Oscar Nominations:Will Smith, Kristen Stewart Score Nods, The Power of the Dog Leads with 12
Chastain beat outOlivia Colman(The Lost Daughter),Penélope Cruz(Parallel Mothers),Nicole Kidman(Being the Ricardos) andKristen Stewart(Spencer) to nab her first Oscar on Sunday.
In an interview forPEOPLE’s 2022 Oscars portfolio, Chastain recently said she “reached out” to her fellow Best Actress nominees to congratulate them.
“This is gonna sound silly, but when I got nominated, I reached out, like, I FaceTimed [The 355costar] Penélope, I called Olivia, I called Kristen and reached out to Nicoleand sent everyone flowers,” she said.
Chastain added, “I’m excited to celebrate this moment with these other incredible women.”
source: people.com
