This photo says it all. We could NOT imagine Jessica Chastain playing a remotely believable version of Tammy Faye Bakker when it was announced that she would be starring in The Eyes of Tammy Faye. (Based on the 2000 documentary by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato) This photo convinced us to find it on Hulu immediately – it’s worth seeing just for the makeup…
The Eyes of Tammy Faye had a festive premier in New York. The REAL Tammy Faye Bakker, who died in 2007, would have been delighted that beautiful Jessica Chastain played her in the HBO Max film. This movie is based on the 2000 documentary of the same name produced by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato. Tammy herself appeared in the documentary. It’s hard to imagine Jessica as 4’11” Tammy Faye – she’s considerably taller, slimmer, and doesn’t have that high baby-talk voice. Tammy was most noted for her spidery fake eyelashes and her ability to burst into tears with runny black mascara – especially when her evangelical husband Jim Bakker, disappointed her. To her credit, Tammy divorced Jim Bakker (he went to prison) and she WAS accepting of the LGBT community and helped AIDS patients.
Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA