Movies Jessica Chastain says there's 'zero possibility' of Evelyn Hugo role: 'I look forward to watching it' The Oscar winner had been a fan-favorite to play Hugo's rival turned lover Celia St. James. By Lester Fabian Brathwaite Lester Fabian Brathwaite Lester Fabian Brathwaite is a staff writer at Entertainment Weekly, where he covers breaking news, all things Real Housewives, and a rich cornucopia of popular culture. Formerly a senior editor at Out magazine, his work has appeared on NewNowNext, Queerty, Rolling Stone, and The New Yorker. He was also the first author signed to Phoebe Robinson's Tiny Reparations imprint. He met Oprah once. EW's editorial guidelines Published on December 28, 2023 06:29PM EST Fans of the Taylor Jenkins Reid's bestseller The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo may be disappointed with some squashed rumors about casting for the upcoming Netflix film adaptation. Jessica Chastain has been a fan-favorite pick to play the title character's rival turned secret paramour Celia St. James, but as the actress recently told E! News, there's "zero possibility" of her taking the role. Jessica Chastain. Dia Dipasupil/Getty "But I love how excited the fans are," Chastain told E!. "When I was working on Broadway, every single day, they'd be outside, when I was signing, with the books. I just love how wonderful that fan base is." Earlier this year, a TikTok video made the rounds of Chastain declining to sign a copy of Reid's book outside of the theater for A Doll's House, in which she was appearing. "I've been asked multiple times by fans to sign books that I'm not attached to contractually," she later explained on social media. "Because it feels wrong, and like I'm taking credit for someone else's work, I'll say I can't sign because I'm not doing it. That doesn't mean I've read a bad script." 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo'. Atria Books Though she didn't give a specific reason why she won't be involved in the Netflix adaptation, the Oscar winner says she'll enjoy it as a spectator. "I look forward to watching it and I'm sorry to disappoint everyone out there!" the Memory star told E!. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo came out in 2017 and concerns the titular heroine, a retired and reclusive classic film actress, as she recounts her life to a journalist. Reid, who also wrote Daisy Jones & the Six, will serve as an executive producer on the film, written by Liz Tigelaar (Little Fires Everywhere, Casual) and directed by Leslye Headland (Russian Doll, Sleeping with Other People). Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more. Related content: The 15 best Jessica Chastain movies and TV shows, ranked Jessica Chastain explains refusing to sign fan's Evelyn Hugo book in video amid movie rumors: 'It feels wrong' Taylor Jenkins Reid's The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: See the cover