Jessica Chastain expressed frustration with the inquiries surrounding her kiss scene with Brad Pitt in the movie that marked her breakthrough role in Hollywood.

Jessica Chastain quickly ascended the ranks in Hollywood with her female-oriented film roles. The Oscar-winning actress achieved her breakthrough role in the 2011 film, The Tree of Life, where she starred alongside the one and only Brad Pitt. Chastain and Pitt delivered exceptional performances in this experimental film directed by Terrence Malick. However, people were more interested in her kiss scene with Pitt in the movie, which left the Mama actress feeling frustrated.

Jessica Chastain

Chastain won an Oscar for her role as American televangelist, Tammy Faye, in the 2021 film, The Eyes of Tammy Faye. She also earned nominations for her earlier films, The Help and Zero Dark Thirty, solidifying her ability as a performer.

Jessica Chastain Was Frustrated With People Asking About Her Kiss Scene

Jessica Chastain and Brad Pitt in The Tree of Life

Jessica Chastain landed her role in The Tree of Life before Brad Pitt, and she was initially set to play wife opposite Heath Ledger. However, Ledger had to drop out due to recurring sickness, and Pitt finally joined the project. Chastain had never imagined she would work alongside an acclaimed actor like Pitt. However, the Moneyball actor was down-to-earth on set and didn’t want to be treated like an international star.

Chastain had a kissing scene with Pitt in the film, which was nothing new for both actors. Although she was elated at the chance to kiss the Bullet Train actor, she was not a fan of the persistent questions surrounding it. The Miss Sloane actress revealed that people wanted to know more about the kiss with Brad Pitt than the beautiful work that Terrence Malick had created. During a podcast interview with The Dinner Party, the Ava actress shared:

“Yeah, and it wasn’t even like that deep of a kiss, it was just like a, you know, sweet, normal husband and wife kiss at the end of the movie. And for the longest time I would be having interviews talking about the idea of nature versus grace in this beautiful film that Terrence Malick made, and everyone would ask me about kissing Brad Pitt, and I just thought ‘Wow, okay, I understand where your mind is.’”
Interestingly, The Tree of Life was the film that shattered certain barriers for the Molly’s Game actress. When she initially tried to audition for a film co-starring Pitt, she was denied the chance, with claims that she did not have the star power to act alongside the Troy actor. Chastain proved them all wrong with her role as Mrs. O’Brien in the film.

Jessica Chastain Did Mama To Break Her Gracious Mother Image

Jessica Chastain in Mama

After her role in The Tree of Life, Jessica Chastain was concerned that she would be typecast as the perfect mother in Hollywood. In The Dinner Party podcast, the host, Brendan Newnam, even shared that he wanted her to be his mother after watching the movie. Chastain added that she committed to Mama right after this film, in order to break that image. Chastain shared in The Dinner Party podcast:
“Oh gosh, you know, I did “Mama” because it was right after “Tree of Life” came out and I noticed immediately I was getting typecast as the perfect mother because of that movie.”
However, she further added that if she ever has kids and they grow up to talk back to her, she would make them watch The Tree of Life. The Interstellar actress shared:
“I tell you, when I have kids and they start talking back to me I’m gonna say you sit down and you watch the “Tree of Life,” and then you tell me what a bad mother I am.”

The film faced multiple delays before it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011. Terrence Malick’s radical idea of a film won the Palme d’Or and is considered one of the greatest movies of this century. The Tree of Life is now available for rent on AppleTV+.