Learn English with Jessica Chastain. In this powerful acceptance speech at the 38th Annual American Cinematheque Awards, Jessica Chastain reflects on the cycle of limitations placed upon women and how she broke free from generational struggles to become a leading force in Hollywood. She shares her personal journey of overcoming societal expectations, pursuing an acting career, and championing complex, empowering roles for women on screen.
Who This Speech Is For
- Learners interested in gender equality, personal resilience, and societal change.
- Those who want to improve their ability to discuss overcoming adversity, challenging stereotypes, and leadership.
- Intermediate to advanced English learners studying emotional, storytelling-driven, and advocacy-focused speech techniques.
How This Speech Helps Your English
- Learn how personal storytelling makes a speech powerful and relatable.
- Expand vocabulary related to gender roles, resilience, and empowerment.
- Observe how metaphors and contrasts highlight struggles and achievements.
- Understand how to challenge societal norms while inspiring change.
Why This Speech Matters
- A deeply personal and inspiring speech on breaking generational cycles of inequality.
- Demonstrates how storytelling can be used as a tool for social awareness and transformation.
- Encourages self-empowerment, defying expectations, and reshaping narratives for future generations.
”The past does not define you. The choices you make today do.
Transcript
Once upon a time, in a small village at the edge of a vast forest, there lived a lineage of women. Each with fire in her heart and dreams as big as the mountains. These women worked tirelessly, raising children on their own, providing them with every ounce of strength they had. Yet for all their resilience, they were bound by an invisible thread, a thread woven by society, tying them to roles they hadn’t chosen. Stripping away their freedoms, little by little.
The first of these women had to abandon her education, to care for a child she hadn’t planned for. Her daughter followed down that path, and her daughter’s daughter was also caught in that cycle. It was as if the forest surrounding these women grew thorns that kept them from venturing out, beyond its borders, from seeing the world of possibility. For generations, this was their fate, an inherited curse, passed down like an unwanted legacy.
But one day, a girl was born who dared to dream differently. She admired the women in her family for their strength, but she questioned why they had to bear these burdens alone. She believed there could be a world beyond the boundaries of their small village. With each story of struggle, and with each act of courage she witnessed, she gathered strength and made a vow. She would break the cycle.
Growing up, every woman in my family faced societal expectations that confined them to narrow roles. My great-grandmother, my grandmother, my aunt, my mother, all became mothers before the age of 17. In a low-income household, without access to health education or birth control, they faced realities they hadn’t chosen but were conditioned by society to accept. They had to drop out of school and take on low-paying jobs to support their families. College and career aspirations disappeared under the weight of their responsibilities. My own mother, at just the age of 22, was caring for three young children on her own.
So I grew up in uncertainty. We faced evictions. I went to school with basic needs unmet. No one asked me if I was okay. We existed on the margins of society. But theater became my lifeline. It was a way to feel seen, to use my voice, to break free from the expectations that had bound my family for generations. And I became determined to escape the cycle.
I was the first in my family to not get pregnant as a teenager, the first to finish high school, the first to attend college. Attending the Juilliard School didn’t just change my life, it showed my family that a different path was possible.
In my career, I’ve worked to dismantle the restrictive roles society imposes on women. Too often, women are valued only for their desirability or their function as mothers, reducing them to bodies in service of everyone but themselves. These archetypes were everywhere in the media I grew up with. And when I entered this industry, most stories still centered on male perspectives. Women were relegated to supporting roles. But I wanted to change that.
And in January 2013, right at the beginning of my career, I reached a major milestone, landing the weekend in the two top box office films, Mama and Zero Dark Thirty. These roles broke new ground. One as the anti-mother turned protector, the other as a CIA officer leading the hunt for bin Laden. Both defied expectations, showing women as complex, powerful, and non-traditional.
And it wasn’t just about box office success. It was proof that audiences were hungry for stories of powerful, multifaceted women. And over the past 12 years, the accolades I’ve received reflect more than just my personal achievements. They represent a growing demand for stories that portray women with depth, with nuance, and with humanity.
And this is part of a larger cultural shift. One that proves audiences want to see women as main characters in their own stories. And as I stand here tonight, I am mindful of the state of the world, our country, our politics, and the misogyny that persists. So many women are still taught to find their worth in roles defined by men. But you guys, I am so proud to be part of an industry that is really evolving.
Today, films show girls that they don’t need a prince to save them. They can save the day themselves. It’s an honor to portray women who are capable, who are intelligent and independent. I want kids to see… I want little girls and boys to see that a woman’s true value isn’t in her beauty, or her role as someone’s partner, but in her intellect, her resilience, and her strength.
Stories matter because they shape culture. Stories inspire change, and stories empower future generations.
Before I close, I have to thank… Bryan Cranston, Aaron Sorkin, Octavia Spencer, Guillermo del Toro, Sebastian Stan, Michael Showalter, and Niki Caro… for being here tonight, and for the beautiful words you’ve shared. I have to thank everyone who sent videos. I love everyone so much, and the support means a tremendous amount to me.
To Chairman Rick Nasida, to President Mark Badalioca, and the entire American Cinematheque Board of Directors, I am so deeply honored to receive this esteemed recognition. To Hilda, Paul, Steve, Nicole, Elizabeth, Kelly, and everyone in this industry who believed in me and supported me on this journey, I thank you so much for helping me to get here.
To my best friends, Gianluca, Jess, Barbara, and Rachel, I am endlessly grateful for your love and support. You’ve kept me grounded and sane through moments when I was overworked and overwhelmed. You reminded me when to rest, when to eat, and when to stop checking my email at 3:00 AM. Sorry.
And lastly, to my mother and grandmother… who are here this evening, thank you for always seeing the power within me, even before I could see it myself. Your faith in me has been a guiding light through every challenge.
To everyone in this room, I urge you to consider the authority of the stories we choose to tell. Filmmaking is a political act. We’re shaping not only our world, but also the world for future generations.
As a child, I could never have imagined standing here among all of you tonight. And this is more than a celebration of how far I have come. It’s a recognition of the stories we’ve told together, of the barriers we have broken, and the possibilities we’ve created for the future.
So thank you very much.
