Jessica Chastain has near 'breakdown' over her shyness
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}SAN DIEGO, CA - JULY 11: Actress Jessica Chastain poses at the Legendary Pictures panel during Comic-Con International 2015 the at the San Diego Convention Center on July 11, 2015 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images) (Getty)
Jessica Chastain isn't a fan of the spotlight. The 39-year-old actress confessed to being painfully shy during an episode of "Inside the Actor's Studio" on Wednesday.
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"I'm almost having a breakdown right now," Chastain told to host James Lipton after revealing that she used to cut school to read Shakespeare.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"You're still shy?" Lipton asked.
"Yes, I'm so shy," replied the Golden Globe winner.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}On the plus side, acting has become an outlet for Chastain to express herself and connect with others.
"It's a strange thing, acting for me has never been about wanting attention or wanting to be seen," explained the Northern California native. "It's funny that I'm in a profession where that's where I am."
"There's so much that I want to express," she added. "It's about connecting with another person and the intimacy of what that is, and so I have to overcome my shyness."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}MORE: Jessica Chastain Says Feud With Jennifer Lawrence Is a 'Media Myth That Has to Stop'
Despite her coy disposition, Chastain doesn't mind taking on assertive characters like the high-powered lobbyist that she plays in the new political thriller, "Miss Sloane."
"Here's a woman who is over-prepared and ambitious and not perfect," Chastain told ET's Carly Steel last month. "We're not used to women playing these characters."