8. Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Jessica Chastain made Zero Dark Thirty work by giving it a human focus. The story was dense and could have felt impersonal, but her portrayal of Maya brought everything together. Chastain made Maya’s determination and frustration feel real. She carried the weight of a difficult mission and showed the cost it had on her character. Her performance gave the film emotional stakes and made it much more than a procedural story. She kept the audience invested and gave the film its edge.
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Edited by Sugnik Mondal