Zero Dark Thirty actress Jessica Chastain and shoe designer Paul Andrew are #BFFgoals. In June 2016, the duo teamed up to knock down all other footwear contenders on the red carpet of the 2016 CFDA Fashion Awards in New York.
Jessica Chastain slicks her red hair back at the 2016 CFDA Fashion Awards held on June 6, 2016, in New York (Credit: Ivan Nikolov / Dennis Van Tine / Future Image / WENN)
Four years earlier, Chastain was 35 years old when she appeared as CIA analyst Maya Harris in the film “Zero Dark Thirty,” which premiered in Los Angeles on December 10, 2012.
Principal photography for the film began in March 2012 and took place in various locations around the world, including India, Jordan, and the United States.
Praised by critics and audiences, she received numerous accolades for her performance, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama.
Kathryn Bigelow offered the lead role of Maya to Jessica Chastain after seeing an early cut of Coriolanus, a 2011 British film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s tragedy of the same name.
In the film “Zero Dark Thirty,” Jessica Chastain played the lead role of Maya, a CIA analyst who is instrumental in tracking down and capturing Osama bin Laden (Credit: Sony Pictures Releasing)
Jessica Chastain’s agents declined the role of Maya on her behalf due to scheduling commitments. However, producer Megan Ellison, who had previously worked with Chastain on the film “Lawless,” believed that Chastain was the perfect fit for the role and gave director Kathryn Bigelow Chastain’s phone number so that Bigelow could personally offer her the role.
“I got involved, I think, just a few months before they started shooting the film. I got cold called by Kathryn Bigelow, which was pretty great. I was in Toronto, and I had heard from-I’m good friends with Megan Ellison,” Chastain told THR.
“We had done a film, Lawless, together. And she said, “By the way, do you know Kathryn Bigelow’s trying to get a hold of you? She wants to meet with you on something.” And I was like, “What? Please, you know, of course, give her my number.” And I got this call from her, and she said she was interested in me to play this role. And she wanted me to send the script, and, you know, would I do it? And for me, it was just, “Yes, of course.” And especially once I started reading the script, I knew there was no other option.”
Actress Jessica Chastain and actor Edgar Ramirez arrive at the premiere of Columbia Pictures’ “Zero Dark Thirty” held at the Dolby Theatre on December 10, 2012, in Hollywood, California (Credit: Tinseltown / Shutterstock)
“I will say this because most people don’t know this, 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. 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.”
The scheduling conflict involved the 2013 American post-apocalyptic action-adventure film Oblivion.
Tom Cruise allowed Olga Kurylenko to replace Jessica Chastain in the role of Jack Harper’s wife Julia Rusakova Harper. Without his help, Chastain would have been contractually obliged to star in Oblivion.
Jessica Chastain wears an embroidered Prabal Gurung dress to the CFDA Fashion Awards (Credit: Ivan Nikolov / Dennis Van Tine / Future Image / WENN)
The character of Maya is widely assumed to be based on a real CIA agent, who is referred to as “Jen” in the book “No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden” (available on Amazon) written by former Navy SEAL Mark Owen.
At the 2016 CFDA Fashion Awards, Jessica wore a beautifully crafted Prabal Gurung dress covered with metallic embroidery.
The perfectly fitted gown was designed with a slight high-low hem, showing off the gorgeous custom-made heels by Jessica’s BFF, Paul Andrew.
Jessica Chastain’s feet in black platform Paul Andrew heels (Credit: Ivan Nikolov / Dennis Van Tine / Future Image / WENN)
Jessica said she and Paul have such great chemistry that people often ask if the two are dating.
The actress comically replied that she wasn’t sure both of their boyfriends would appreciate hearing that.
We can totally understand where these two are coming from. We mean, just look at them.
Shoe designer Paul Andrew and actress Jessica Chastain pose for photos (Credit: Ivan Nikolov / Dennis Van Tine / Future Image / WENN)
Paul Andrew took home the Swarovski Accessories Design Award at the prestigious awards night, and the proud Jessica cheered him on the entire time.
British fashion designer Paul Andrew seemed to have a good time with American actress Jessica Chastain (Credit: Jessica Chastain’s Instagram)
As excited as the two were to celebrate the victory at the CFDA afterparty, their car broke down, and Paul had to get an Uber.
You can’t get your own custom-made Paul Andrew design without some pretty good connections, unfortunately.
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