Jessica Chastain refuses to be cast as 'set dressing'

Jessica Chastain still gets offered opportunities to play the wife or girlfriend despite voicing her desire for "interesting" female roles.

The flame haired actress is on a mission to redefine an actress's role in Hollywood, and she shuns any parts where the woman is just the wife or girlfriend.

Despite her openness with what she wants out of the industry, double Oscar nominee Jessica finds not everyone is listening.

Of her new film Miss Sloane, Jessica told Empire magazine, "At first, I thought it would be interesting because of the gun violence in the United States."

The recent presidential election between Hillary Clinton and eventual winner Donald Trump made the part even more interesting.

"After the first debate the big criticism against Hillary Clinton was that she was over-prepared, which I've never heard anyone say about a man," she shared. "I think we as a society have difficulty with female ambition and women who don't apologize for knowing what they're talking about.

"People know I'm passionate about interesting roles for women (yet) I still sometimes get scripts from actors and directors I'd love to work with, and I'm like, 'Are you kidding me? She's the set dressing!'"

Miss Sloane is set in the high stakes world of political power, with Jessica's character Elizabeth Sloane the most sought after lobbyist in Washington D.C.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw and John Lithgow co-star, and Jessica says despite Sloane's brutal methods, she can still be seen as a role model.

"What we realize is she will sacrifice herself because she's gotta accomplish what she out to, and I think that's a really good role model for men and women right now: Sloane at the end of the movie; not necessarily at the beginning!" she smiled.

Miss Sloane was released in December.