Make a joyful noise. On Wednesday, the first trailer dropped for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, starring Academy award nominee Jessica Chastain as the disgraced evangelist, TV personality, and Christian recording artist Tammy Faye Baker. Academy Award nominee Andrew Garfield co-stars as her ex-husband, Jim Bakker, who would ultimately be indicted, convicted, and imprisoned on numerous counts of fraud and conspiracy in 1989.
Directed by comedian turned filmmaker Michael Showalter, The Eyes of Tammy Faye follows the rise and fall of Faye and Jim—from modest Christians to founders and co-hosts of the immensely popular Evangelist show The PTL club to public pariahs embroiled in scandal. In the trailer, Chastain takes us on a wild ride as Baker, showing us how her character evolves from humble brunette wife to unbelievably tanned and blonde mogul with a penchant for heavy eyeliner and blue eyeshadow. “This is who I am,” Chastain says to close out the trailer, completely unrecognizable from the doe-eyed newlywed we met at the start.
Beyond Tammy Faye’s distinctive look, the trailer also captures her various idiosyncrasies, like her love of puppets and her unique singing voice—which Chastain displays as she breaks into a rousing rendition of “Jesus Keeps Takin’ Me Higher and Higher.” The trailer also touches down on some of Faye’s unconventional views regarding the LGBT community, who urged her Christian followers to show compassion for those suffering from HIV/AIDS. “Faith isn’t political,” Chastain says to conservative activist and televangelist Jerry Falwell Sr., played by Vincent D’Onofrio.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye is set to hit theaters on Sept. 17, 2021.
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