Jessica Chastain has enjoyed a huge couple of years in Hollywood, that's for sure. From relative unknown, the California-born actress landed roles in Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life, Oscar nominated The Help and the critically acclaimed Take Shelter. Since then, there's been high profile roles in Lawless and Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, though her latest role in Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty is her biggest and best yet.

Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark ThirtyIt Was No Surprise That Jessica Chastain Scored A Nomination For Best Actress

The Osama Bin Laden movie won Chastain a nomination for Best Actress at the Oscars on Thursday morning (January 10, 2013), with the bookmakers giving her a decent chance of winning, however, there's just one problem: Jennifer Lawrence. Chastain is available at around 2/1 to take home the golden statuette, though Lawrence is the massive favourite at 1/2 for her role opposite Bradley Cooper in David O'Russell's Silver Linings Playbook. The comedy-drama was one of the big success stories of the nominations, which indicates it could be Lawrence's year. Zero Dark Thirty on the other hand failed to secure a nomination for its director Kathryn Bigelow, though the controversy surrounding the movie's torture scenes could be the main reasoning behind that snub. Still, the acclaimed film rightfully holds its place among the likes of Lincoln, The Master and Silver Linings for the evening's biggest prize: Best Picture. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone said, "The knockout punch of the movie season is being delivered by Zero Dark Thirty. Chastain is a marvel, and Bigelow and Boal top their Oscar-winning work in The Hurt Locker." Though the odds favor Lawrence, the smart money will be on Chastain.  

Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings PlaybookChastain Has It All To Do To Beat Jennifer Lawrence To Best Actress

Should the California native not walk away with the prize come Oscars night, she'll have plenty more chances in the coming years. She's currently working on 'The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: His' and 'The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Hers' with James McAvoy, and thriller Good People with James Franco.