Jessica Chastain Rejected A Role In 'Doctor Strange'; Here's Why

Jessica Chastain was offered a role in the 2016 Marvel film, Doctor Strange. But she rejected the offer with the 'coolest' and more ambitious reason. 


Jessica Chastain

Actress Jessica Chastain turned down the chance to play Dr. Christine Palmer in the Benedict Cumberbatch starrer Doctor Strange and she has a reason for it. Once Chastain turned down the role, it then went to actress Rachel McAdams. Read to know why Jessica Chastain rejected the role. 

Jessica Chastain rejected Doctor Strange

In an interview with an online portal, C. Robert Cargill, co-writer of Doctor Strange revealed the news. He said that the interesting thing which Hollywood is starting to find out is that a lot of the female actors in the industry wants to be superheroes as much as the male actors do. He stated that he knows this happened with Doctor Strange director, Scott Derrickson.

Cargill stated that Derrickson went to Jessica Chastain to get her on board for Doctor Strange to play Stephen Strange’s former lover and nurse Christine Palmer. However, she rejected the role saying that the project sounds awesome and she would love to do it but she's only going to get one shot at being in a Marvel film and that she really wants to wear a cape.

Robert Cargill further mentioned that it was the coolest rejection ever. Chastain wanted to be the superhero, not the nurse.


The role of Christine Palmer in Doctor Stranger was played by Rachel McAdams. The movie received immense appreciation from the audiences and was a success at the box office. McAdams appears for a small time on the screen as the Night Nurse.

 

Later, Jessica Chastain was seen as Vuk in X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019). The movie was released before Disney owned Fox Studios, hence, not making it a part of the MCU. Chastain played the leader of a shape-shifting alien race known as the D’Bari. Dark Phoenix received negative reviews and failed to perform at the box office.