From poverty and bullying to the Oscars – the actress who refused to break

She was the product of a teenage pregnancy, and her family was dirt poor.

There were countless nights she went to bed hungry.

But today, that struggle is a distant memory for this celebrated actress, an Academy Award winner whose star now shines brighter than ever.

Her father was not her father

With her striking red hair, sea green eyes, porcelain skin, high cheekbones and flowing fiery locks, this actress stands out as a rare presence among Hollywood’s sea of blondes and brunettes.

She has earned many honors, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. She has also been nominated for a Primetime Emmy, two Tony Awards, and two British Academy Film Awards.

But her path to this spotlight was anything but easy.

This actress was born on March 24, 1977, in Sacramento, California.

She came into the world as Jessica Howard, the child of a vegan chef named Jerri Hastey and a firefighter named Michael Hastey. Her parents were both teenagers when she was born and by all accounts, the young girl wasn’t born into a privileged family.

She had previously shared with the Irish Times in 2017 about her “very difficult upbringing,” saying, “I did grow up with a single mother who worked very hard to put food on our table. We did not have money.”

“There were many nights when we had to go to sleep without eating,” she recalled. “It was a very difficult upbringing. Things weren’t easy for me growing up … Because of my mother, I do always try to think about how something must be for someone else. I’m not so interested in myself. I’m interested in other people.”

Bullied and told she was ”ugly”Continue reading…

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