Eyes into Tammy Faye’s Soul

On September 15, 2021, the Center on Religion and Culture hosted an advance screening of The Eyes of Tammy Faye followed by a conversation with producer and actor Jessica Chastain, actor Vincent D’Onofrio, director Michael Showalter, and producer Kelly Carmichael. This rare chance to hear from the filmmakers themselves gave me a deeper understanding of their intentions and of the film overall while it was still fresh in my mind. Set in the 1970s and 1980s, The Eyes of Tammy Faye follows Tammy Faye Bakker through the rise and fall of the PTL Satellite Network, the religious broadcasting empire she built with her husband, Jim Bakker. 

Prior to seeing the film, I only had a vague idea of who Tammy Faye Bakker was. As I explored her Wikipedia page before the screening, I started to form an opinion based on the eye-catching details. Excessive wealth, dreams of a successful music career, legal troubles, a fall from grace in the public eye, divorce. She would have made an excellent Real Housewife.

While I remain devastated that the stars did not align to bring Tammy Faye and Bravo together, the film and conversation following the screening did change my perspective about her. The Eyes of Tammy Faye addressed the headlines of Tammy Faye’s life but filled them in with her humanity. Jessica Chastain’s Tammy Faye is a compassionate portrayal of a flawed person. 

The seed of The Eyes of Tammy Faye was planted when Chastain watched the 2000 documentary of the same name, narrated by RuPaul. Over the next seven years as this project took shape, Chastain watched every clip of Tammy Faye she could find. Whether it was The PTL Club or season 2 of VH1’s The Surreal Life, Chastain saw a consistently loving person reaching out to others. 

Chastain’s passion for this film and her deep connection to and understanding of Tammy Faye came through in her performance. The warmth and positivity that radiates off of Chastain’s Tammy Faye is contagious. It is impossible not to love her. Chastain was so keyed in to this person, even the way she opened her Diet Coke can with a nail file had my full attention.

One of the most striking moments in the film is Tammy Faye’s 1985 PTL Club interview with Steve Pieters, a gay pastor living with AIDS. At the height of the AIDS epidemic, Tammy Faye implored her audience to educate themselves about AIDS and give love and support to those with it. The full interview is remarkable. It was compassionate and honest. The two discussed Pieters experience with AIDS and realizing he was gay and coming out. At a time when the public fear was high and knowledge was low, Tammy Faye used her platform to reach her largely conservative and likely homophobic audience to foster a better understanding of AIDS and who gay people actually are. 

Chastain found this interview particularly moving and even said she believes it saved lives. I agree. The rejection queer people can face from a religious community can be so severe, so painful that even just the fear of having that experience can be deeply harmful. As a formerly religious gay person, my guards shot right up when I heard the word televangelist. But Tammy Faye genuinely loved and embraced queer people. When she appeared on The RuPaul Show in the late 1990s, she told the viewers, “everybody must be who they are, young people don’t ever let anyone make you something that you’re not.” It was healing for me to watch the Steve Pieters interview today, and I can’t imagine the impact it must have had on The PTL Club’s queer viewers and their communities in 1985.

I clocked Tammy Faye’s queer icon potential watching the movie trailer before I knew anything about her. It’s her spirit, her commitment to being authentically herself despite the negative things other people have to say. In the opening scene of the film, Tammy Faye is asked to remove her eye make up, which she declines to do saying “This is who I am.”

Some mock Tammy Faye’s make up. Others see it as a mask, hiding something underneath. Chastain sees Tammy Faye’s make up as a beautiful expression of her true self. While discussing this after the screening, Chastain referenced a RuPaul quote, “Drag doesn’t cover who you are, it reveals who you are.” When you take time to present yourself to the world in a way that rings true to who you are inside, it is the most incredible feeling. 

The Eyes of Tammy Faye is a compelling story filled with heartbreak, humor, and rip-roaring musical performances. I have two words for you: Disco. Jesus. It’s a riveting film that explores the nuances of a person whose public image had been reduced to a scandal. Chastain hopes the film will right this wrong she believes society has done to Tammy Faye’s legacy.

Towards the end of the film, Tammy Faye says “I won’t go forward looking in the rear view mirror of my life.” The Eyes of Tammy Faye gives us the chance to look in that rear view mirror and see a wounded person who understood the feeling of exile and dedicated her life to ensuring others knew they were loved. Regardless of what you think of Tammy Faye going into this film, I think Chastain will achieve her goal.