Exclusive 1:1 Interview with Zero Dark Thirty star Jessica Chastain

By Eric Walkuski

Posted 13 years ago

Jessica Chastain is everywhere right now. Last year the actress appeared in six movies (including THE HELP, which earned her an Oscar nomination), while this year she’s been featured in “merely” four. Her latest and perhaps most significant role is as Maya, a CIA Agent who dedicates several years of her life to tracking down and killing Osama bin Laden in Kathryn Bigelow‘s ZERO DARK THIRTY. It’s a tremendous performance; Chastain is as intense and committed as the character she’s inhabiting, and she is assured to be in the conversation when Oscar time comes around.

I was fortunate enough to speak with Ms. Chastain about the importance of the role (which is based on a real person), working with the acclaimed director and whether or not she’s ready for another go-round with Awards Season madness. (I also make sure to remind her that she’s in every other movie that is released nowadays.)

About the Author

Eric Walkuski

Film Critic

10,340 Articles Published

Favorite Movies: Jaws, Star Wars Trilogy, Aliens, Citizen Kane, The Third Man, Dawn read more of the Dead ('78), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre ('74), Fargo, Miller's Crossing, Reservoir Dogs, The Manchurian Candidate ('62), Taxi Driver, Back to the Future, Stand by Me, Shaun of the Dead, Boogie Nights, La Dolce Vita, 12 Angry Men, The Birds, Touch of Evil

Likes: Film, Beer (who the hell DOESN'T around here?!), writing, NY Mets, read more The Jets, Girls who love film AND beer (at the same time), Jazz, Deadwood, The Wire, The Office, The Twilight Zone, Cormac McCarthy, Graham Greene, Stephen King, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Scorsese, Spielberg, Halloween season, Marvel movies, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Ash vs Evil Dead, Game of Thrones, Edgar Allen Poe, Mother Nature

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