It’s almost shocking how timelyMolly’s Gamefeels. In light of the seemingly unending allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct in the entertainment industry (and all fields) – here comes a film about a smart, ambitious woman constantly fending off against the unwanted advances & sexism of her male contemporaries. In the true-to-life film, Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain) struggles to make a name for herself in the male dominated poker industry, belittled at the start by her know-nothing boss, then harassed by her celebrity clientele, and ultimately assaulted by the Russian mob. Despite all these setbacks, Molly never backs down – fighting to retain her sense of self even when the government itself threatens to ‘lock her up’. UltimatelyMolly’s Gameextols the virtues of standing up for your name and the values it represents, a Capra-esque spin on one woman vs. the establishment.
In the following interview with Jessica Chastain andIdris Elba(who costars as Molly’s lawyer Charlie), the duo discuss the timeliness of the film, the tricks to speaking Aaron Sorkin’s dialogue, and finding the foundations for their characters. For the full interview, watch the video above. You can alsoread Adam Chitwood’s review here.
Jessica Chastain & Idris Elba:
Here’s the official synopsis forMolly’s Game:
MOLLY’S GAME is based on the true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans and finally, unbeknownst to her, the Russian mob. Her only ally was her criminal defense lawyer Charlie Jaffey, who learned that there was much more to Molly than the tabloids led us to believe.
