Why is Jessica Chastain taking classes at Harvard?

Oscar winner Jessica Chastain has enrolled at Harvard’s Kennedy School for a master’s in public administration.

Jessica Chastain has returned to the classroom, and not for a role. The Oscar-winning actress is now enrolled in Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, where she’s pursuing a two-year Master in Public Administration (MPA). While many celebrities dabble in honorary degrees or online certificates, Chastain is fully committing to the academic grind, reportedly attending classes on campus in Cambridge this summer.

Sources say the actress has been spotted sitting in lectures and participating in discussions alongside policy professionals, public sector workers, and aspiring political leaders. According to Harvard’s official description, the MPA is designed for individuals with ‘real-world experience’ who want to sharpen their leadership and policy skills. The flexible curriculum allows students to build a personalised programme focused on everything from economics to management to ethics.

For Chastain, who has long used her platform to advocate for women’s rights and gender equality, the pivot into public policy seems like more than a vanity pursuit. In 2017, she was honoured at Variety’s Power of Women luncheon for her work with Planned Parenthood, an organisation she publicly credited for providing her birth control when she was struggling early in her career. “It makes it possible for a woman to have equal opportunity,” she said at the time.

Before her Hollywood rise, Chastain studied at Sacramento City College and later graduated from Juilliard with a BFA in drama in 2003. She was also awarded an honorary doctorate from the institution in 2024. Her decision to now enter the halls of Harvard suggests a deeper ambition, one that may extend beyond acting and into civic leadership.

Fans are already speculating whether Chastain is preparing for a more public-facing role in politics. For now, she remains tight-lipped, but the Ivy League move hints at a second act with serious influence.