The Help actress Jessica Chastain covers the December issue of Marie Claire and we’re smitten with her look.  Rocking her fiery red locks, Jessica stuns in a hot pink Christian Dior Haute Couture dress.  Currently starring in the Broadway play The Heiress, the actress takes the time out to chat with Marie Claire’s Lea Goldman about shooting to super-stardom in just a year (she appeared in six films in 2011, catapulting her to the top of the A-list), working as a struggling actress in New York City (she did her laundry at laundromats) and keeping a low profile.

Jessica stars in the highly anticipated film Zero Dark Thirty, about the CIA manhunt for Osama bin Laden, by The Hurt Locker directer Katheryn Bigelow.  The controversial film has received much criticism as a pro-Obama propaganda.  So much so that Columbia pictures had to push the release back until after the election as not to anger Republicans.  Her role might snatch her an Oscar nod.  This low key actress says she’s not secretive yet she refuses to reveal her age or her exact hometown in Northern California.  In an industry where nothing is kept secret for long, Jessica stays under the radar.  If only other celebs who blame paparazzi for every bad thing in their lives would take a cue from her playbook.

The December issue of Marie Claire hits newsstands November 20th and features the editorials shot by Tesh.