She had to portray a woman we rarely see in motion pictures, one who is professional and dedicated, obsessive but not neurotic or sexually dysfunctional, a woman capable of mistakes in judgment and capable of crossing moral lines in the line of duty and yet utterly self-sacrificing and dutiful in the name of protecting the nation — in short, a fully human rendition of a civil servant, and a bundle of contradictions. That’s not an easy feat to embody, scene after scene, day after day, even on a sound stage, let alone in a movie filmed in the dusty deserts of Jordan and the teeming streets of India. But no film is ever easy. Not one. And, of course, she did it.
When I got to the cutting room and started to knit the performance together, I knew the hardest part was over and that she’d done something she could be proud of. And I feel blessed to have this moving and powerful performance in my film. I called her up to say so. She was gracious and thankful.
I said I hoped she was taking some well-deserved time off.
She was, of course, busy, back at work.
L.A. Times: Kathryn Bigelow on Jessica Chastain: