Jessica Chastain - Jessica Chastain is proud of Zero Dark Thirty's feminist message

Jessica Chastain is proud of Zero Dark Thirty's feminist message

Jessica Chastain thinks 'Zero Dark Thirty' has a feminist message.

The 35-year-old actress was shocked to see a woman at the centre of Katherine Bigelow's Golden Globe nominated film in which she plays real life CIA agent Maya, who helped end the 10-year manhunt for Osama Bin Laden.

While she felt ''disgusted'' by her initial reaction, Jessica is proud to portray such a strong woman and is keen to break Hollywood stereotypes.

She confessed: ''When I read the script, from the very beginning I was shocked that there was a woman at the centre of it. Then I was disgusted with myself that I was shocked by it. Why would I be so shocked? Of course, a woman could have done this.

''You start looking at lead female characters in film, they're usually defined by the men in their lives. They're either the victim of the man or the love interest of the man. Maya is not. She's not protected or mentored really. She's not suffering from neuroses or trying to sleep with her boss or any kind of mental issues with her. She's intelligent, capable, and she can stand on her own.''

'The Help' star also denied comparisons with hit TV show 'Homeland' and Claire Danes' fictional character Carrie Mathison, insisting she has nothing but respect for the woman whose story her character is based on.

Jessica explained to MTV News: ''I love that show. I love Claire Danes. I think they're apples and oranges because that's a fictional character, and this is a real woman, and we had the utmost respect when portraying her.''