Jessica Chastain: 'Zero Dark Thirty' Is Not What You Think

The stars and director of the new film about the killing of Osama bin Laden talk about their new movie.

Published

6 months ago

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Entertainment

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Celebrity

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Osama Bin Laden, Jessica Chastain, Kathryn Bigelow

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United States of America, California, Los Angeles, New York

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zero dark thirty

Transcript

The events surrounding the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden gets a Hollywood twist in the new film "Zero Dark Thirty". Directed by Kathryn Bigelow it reconstructs the ten year manhunt for bin Laden through the eyes of a young CIA agent, Maya, portrayed by Jessica Chastain. The actress wasn't able to meet the person her character is based on because she is an active member of the CIA, so she relied on screenwriter Mark Boal. SOUNDBITE: Jessica Chastain, actress, saying (English): "Our screenwriter started as an investigative journalist, so a lot of research came from him - I actually nicknamed him 'The Professor'. Any question I had, and I had a lot of questions, he answered. I was also able to speak to some people who do things like that, who helped me a lot and I read a lot of books." Bigelow says telling the story from Maya's point of view was the best way to convey the message. SOUNDBITE: Kathryn Bigelow, director, saying (English): "It was what the reporting bore out. I mean there were several women and men pivotal to this hunt. And then realizing that it would be probably the best way to tell the story would be through the eyes of this individual and then put the audience in her position. You know, she's kind of the boots on the ground so-to-speak." The film opens with Australian actor Jason Clarke in a grueling interrogation session with a detainee. In the scene he uses techniques including water boarding and sleep deprivation to gain information. SOUNDBITE: Jason Clarke, actor, saying (English): "The fact that it's such a strong visceral thing to take you into it, I think, you know, it's fantastic. It draws you straight into the world of this film." Although most people will go into this film knowing how it ends, Chastain says the movie still has its surprises. SOUNDBITE: Jessica Chastain, actress, saying (English): "We all think we know what this movie is about, which is - I mean, we're so wrong. I was so wrong when I read the script, starting at page five I realized this is not what I thought really happened. It's fantastic because it really is, it's a scoop. I think it's the perfect, what do you call it, like water-cooler film." "Zero Dark Thirty" opens in New York and Los Angeles on December 19th, with a wider release on January 11th.