The first pictures from upcoming biopic The Eyes of Tammy Fae have been released, showing stars Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield looking almost unrecognisable in their roles as televangelists Tammy Fae Bakker and Jim Bakker.
Chastain told People that the transformation required her to spend four hours a day in the makeup and hair trailer with makeup artists Linda Dowds Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh to pull off the look, which required various prosthetics.
“Every moment, I had something on my face,” said Chastain. “I have a dimple in my chin that she didn’t have, so we would seal that up. Her face was more round than mine, so I would have things on my cheeks. Their expertise just helped me so much with my confidence in playing her.”
The Eyes of Tammy Fae is based on the 2000 documentary of the same name, and tells the story of Tammy Fae and Jim Bakker who built their Christian news program into a multi-million dollar business before it all collapsed when Jim Bakker was allegedly involved in a sex and finance scandal which included an affair with Jessica Hahn, a church secretary. Tammy Fae Bakker died from cancer in 2007 at age 65.
“I just was so blown away by her and her story,” said Chastain. “The thing I loved the most about Tammy is her capacity to love. She knew what it felt like to not feel important, and she didn’t want anyone to experience that.
She added: “People were always making her into a clown and punishing her for the mistakes of her husband, which all throughout history women have been the victim of, atoning for the sins of men.”
