Revealed: How Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain 'refuses to acknowledge her biological father'... who tragically died a week ago
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Dark secret: Jessica Chastain, pictured at the BAFTA Awards, is said to 'refuse' to publicly acknowledge her biological father
She is one of the favourites to walk away with the Best Actress Oscar later this month, and has been lauded as one of Hollywood's hottest rising stars.
As a result, Jessica Chastain's private life has come more intensely under the microscope.
Now, a new report in Star Magazine through Radar alleges that the 35-year-old actress 'refuses to acknowledge her biological father Michael Monasterio' and 'wants nothing to do with him.'
Tragically, Star reports that Monasterio, a musician who lived in Sacremento, California, passed away on February 5 aged 55 due to complications from bronchitis.
Jessica is said to have 'publicly thanked her mother Jerri Chastain and father Michael Hastey earlier this year', but the magazine report says Hastey is not her real father.
A close friend of the late musician told Star: 'Michael adored Jessica, but it broke his heart that she never mentioned his existence, for whatever reason.'
The magazine's report corroborates comments made by Monasterio on his own Facebook page which says that vegan chef Jerri 'took off' with daughters Jessica and Juliet and then 'changed her name so he couldn't find them for years.'
Jessica is widely reported to have been born 'Jessica Howard' before taking her mother's maiden name as her acting career took off.
Jerri and Michael had been high school sweethearts and broke up shortly after Jessica and Juliet were born in 1977 and 1978 respectively.
'Michael was a typical '80s rocker, so he was definitely no innocent but neither was Jessica's mom,' a family friend tells Star.
'So it was always upsetting to Michael that Jessica turned her back on him, especially after Jerri remarried, and eventually started referring to her stepdad Michael Hastey as her father.'
Indeed Jessica once referred to Hastey in a magazine interview: 'My dad's a fireman. I'm not happy about that. I'm proud but it scares me.'
Estrangement: Michael Monasterio as pictured in rock pose in a picture from his Facebook page
Memories: Michael tragically died on February 5
Despite the estrangement, Monasterio wrote a Facebook post alongside a picture of a three- year-old Jessica calling Jerri a 'good mom,' and mentioning that Jessica 'always smelled of baby powder.'
Another shot shows his own mother - also with red hair, holding a young Jessica at two-years-old.
'My Mother and my first daughter, her mother and I were highschool sweethearts, with two little ones, My Mom really loved this one, such an awesome baby...' he wrote as a caption.
Juliet eventually reconciled with their father, but then tragically committed suicide aged 24.
'She took her life at home with a shotgun,' Monasterio wrote on his Facebook page alongside pictures of his late daughter. 'It f***ed my world up for years. It demolished me. I couldn't get outta bed for months, just went all over the country for years trying to figure out why.'
Alongside another picture of Juliet, he writes: 'My child. I miss her so much.'
Photographs posted of Juliet, who Monasterio nicknamed 'Jewel', show a girl resembling Jessica but with long wavy brown hair and brown eyes, often playing the drums.
Before she was famous: Jessica aged three, as pictured on a post on Monasterio
Baby love: Monasterio posted an adorable photograph of Jessica aged two, with his mother
In response to a post by a friend expressing concern about her own daughter, he wrote: 'Young woman get hurt so bad over men and don't want to continue, it's the worst thing in the world. Never want to lose a child, ever, I love my child everyday and miss her forever.'
Monasterio was clearly proud of Jessica's acting career, posting up comments on his public Facebook page back in 2010, before the star found worldwide fame.
'My first baby Jessica Chastain, has a movie coming out May 27th with Brad Pitt and Sean Penn,' he wrote, referring to The Tree of Life. 'She did nine movies last year just right on the cusp of being big.
'Google her, she is pretty private but you can see her deal,' he adds.
Memories: Another Facebook picture shows Jerri Chastain aged 16, and Michael, aged 17, just six months before she gave birth to Jessica
During her Golden Globes acceptance speech after winning Best Actress, Chastain said: 'I've wanted to be an actress since I was a little girl and I've worked for a really long time.'
Monasterio appears to reiterate her comments in another Facebook post, writing: 'My daughter new (sic) at a very young age that she wanted to act, and her and my other daughter Juliet use to put on little shows for the peeps in the neighbourhood, but Jessica went into acting and Juliet went into drumming.'
A memorial service for Monasterio will take place on February 23, the day before the Oscars, but it is unclear if she will attend.
Tragedy: Juliet, Jessica's younger sister, killed herself aged 24, back in 2003
Monasterio's death came suddenly and he 'didn't have a lot of money' when he died, according to the family friend.
Nicole - Jessica's half sister - is having to arrange his memorial service and has posted a page on the Internet asking for donations.
'It's a shame that Jessica, with all the money she's made in Hollywood couldn't help out,' the insider adds.
Jessica has never publicly spoken about Monasterio or Juliet in any interview. MailOnline has contacted Jessica's representatives for comment but has yet to receive a response.
Stars of the show: Jessica in her Oscar-nominated role of CIA agent Maya in Zero Dark Thirty
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