USA: Zero Dark Thirty does not "condone torture" says film's star Jessica Chastain

Record ID: 220963

  • Title: USA: Zero Dark Thirty does not "condone torture" says film's star Jessica Chastain
  • Date: 11th December 2012
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 10, 2012) (REUTERS) "ZERO DARK THIRTY" BACKGROUND JESSICA CHASTAIN AND JASON CLARKE POSING FOR PHOTOS WIDE OF CARPET (SOUNDBITE) (English) JESSICA CHASTAIN, "ZERO DARK THIRTY" STAR, SAYING: "This film does not condone torture. It was very important for Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal to show an accurate portrayal of historic
  • Embargoed: 26th December 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA7KZAIAC7UTBW714EFM2GND3Z8
  • Story Text: "Zero Dark Thirty" star Jessica Chastain and co-star Jason Clarke hit the carpet for the film's premiere in Los Angeles on Monday (December 10). The tense, gripping story about the hunt for al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden opens with Australian actor Jason Clarke in a grueling interrogation session with a detainee. He uses techniques including waterboarding and sleep deprivation to gain information.
    "This film does not condone torture," said Chastain. "It was very important for Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal to show an accurate portrayal of historic events. To not include scenes of torture would be to be lying about what happened and would make a watered down Hollywood movie. They did not want to do that. They wanted to show everything that's involved. I think it's interesting though, to see that the information Maya finds out does not come from a scene of torture, it actually comes from a scene of sitting down to hummus and tabouli."
    The movie is considered a top contender for the Best Picture Oscar, which may bring close scrutiny over its accuracy. The question of whether waterboarding actually helped lead to bin Laden's killing is likely to be contentious given the national debate over whether torture should play a role in interrogations, and is necessary for gathering information.
    "We cannot shut our eyes to certain aspects of reality, regardless of how hard they are," said co-star Edgar Ramirez. "One of the reasons why it's so hard to watch the scene is because, in my opinion, it was so smartly shot that it doesn't tell you who to root for."
    Bigelow reconstructs the ten year manhunt for bin Laden through the eyes of a young CIA agent, Maya, portrayed by Chastain. The star wasn't able to meet the person her character is based on because she is an active member of the CIA, so she filled in the gaps by grilling the film's screenwriter, Mark Boal.
    "I had three months before we started shooting where I worked with Mark Boal, our screenwriter, who is also an investigative journalist," said Chastain. "I nicknamed it, like, CIA school. I learned as much as I could about the character and the CIA."
    "Zero Dark Thirty" opens in New York and Los Angeles on December 19, with a wider release on January 11.
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