'Dark Phoenix' Stars Sophie Turner and Jessica Chastain Talk Strong Female Characters

It looks like Jessica Chastain and Sophie Turner are having a blast promoting Dark Phoenix. Jessica's character ends up being highly influential on Sophie's Jean Grey. And the same appears to be happening IRL: The two have a sweet chemistry in interviews together and talk honestly about what their powerful female characters have meant to them.

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It looks like Jessica Chastain and Sophie Turner are having a blast promoting Dark Phoenix, including some very real foot blisters thanks to their seriously high heels. In the film, Jessica's character (who doesn't have a name and is very mysterious as of yet) ends up being highly influential on Sophie's Jean Grey. And the same appears to be happening IRL: The two have a sweet chemistry in interviews together and talk honestly about what their powerful female characters have meant to them.

"Growing up, I didn't really feel like...I'd seen a superhero movie with a really strong female at the helm," Turner said in the interview. "Now, it's so great that young girls and young boys and your daughter [pointing to Jessica] can grow up and watch this movie and look at it and say, 'Oh wow, what a strong, well-rounded, accurate representation of a woman."

"Also, all women are strong and all women are incredible and powerful," Chastain added. "It'll be nice, when we get to the point too when we make these films, that we don't have to say, 'It's great to see a strong female character, well, it's just normal.'"

"Yeah," agreed Turner. "It's just a character."

In a cover story with Marie Claire, Jessica touched upon sexism and the work that has led her to Freckle Films, an all-women production company.

Dark Phoenix comes out in June:

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And I can't wait.

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Katherine J. Igoe
Contributor

Katherine’s a Boston-based contributor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle—from “Clueless” to Everlane to news about Lizzo. She’s been a freelancer for 11 years and has had roles with Cosmopolitan and Bustle, with bylines in Parents, Seventeen, and elsewhere. It’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.