In case you didn’t know, Tom Cruise is a superhero. He was supposed to the 2013 science fiction film ‘Oblivion’ with Jessica Chastain. However, she was given an opportunity to star in the Kathryn Bigelow film ‘Zero Dark Thirty.’ She was cold-called by Kathryn Bigelow herself.

Jessica Chastain said yes in no time, but there was the matter of ‘Oblivion.’ Even though her heart was elsewhere, she was contractually obligated to appear in the movie. However, Tom Cruise was understanding and let her go out of contract. Chastain then went on to have a successful career.

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Tom Cruise Allowed Jessica Chastain Out Of Her Contractual Obligation

Thanks to Tom Cruise, Jessica Chastain was able to do ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ for Kathryn Bigelow. When he first heard about the role, she was in Toronto and received the news from a producer she had previously worked with. After talking to Bigelow, she instantly said yes to the film she knew she had to do. But what about the film she was supposed to do with Tom Cruise? Luckily, he understood and even helped her out.

Jessica Chastain recalled, “I was signed to do another movie. I was contractually obligated to do something else that I was really wanting to do, and I was excited to do [the 2013 thriller Oblivion, starring Cruise]. But when this came my way, I realized I had to do this. And the person who made it possible for me to do this movie is Tom Cruise. Someone contacted him from my agency and said, ‘Listen, she wants to work with you. And she would love to, but there is this other film, and it’s so important.’ And he said, ‘OK, we’re going to let you out of your contract.’ ”

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Jessica Chastain’s Career Post ‘Zero Dark Thirty’

For her role in ‘Zero Dark Thirty,’ Jessica Chastain received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She went on to work with filmmakers like Guillermo Del Toro and Christopher Nolan on ‘Crimson Peak’ and ‘Interstellar.’ In 2015, she starred in Ridley Scott’s ‘The Martian,’ followed by ‘The Huntsman: Winter’s War.’

Jessica Chastain was nominated for Golden Awards for ‘Miss Sloane,’ ‘Molly’s Game,’ and the HBO miniseries ‘Scenes from a Marriage.’ in 2021, she starred in the biopic ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’ as the televangelist Tammy Faye, for which she won her first Academy Award. She also took home the Screen Actors Guild Award and Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actress for playing Tammy Faye.

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