Life is good for Jessica Chastain. She had three films presented at Cannes, two of which, "The Tree of Life," and "Take Shelter" won prizes at the festival -- including the coveted Palme d'Or for her Terrence Malick-directed epic. All told, she could have six films out in 2011, making her a red carpet mainstay.
The success makes Chastain one of film's hottest new stars, and yet she's still be interviewed about her co-stars. Then again, it's quite understandable when you play opposite to perhaps the biggest movie star in the world.
Chastain spoke with PopSugar about working with Brad Pitt on "The Tree of Life," discussing their fight scene and her relationship with her co-star.
**Brief Spoiler Below**
At one point in the film, after an altercation with their children, Chastain and Pitt have an anxious -- and then unscripted -- moment in the kitchen.
"I don't know why or what on earth possessed me, but I grabbed the pepper and rubbed it in his face and said, 'How do you like it?' And then he grabbed me, and all of a sudden, we're fighting and struggling," Chastain said. "So working with Brad, an actor who is open to being spontaneous and emotional and inventive and really listens to the other person, you can have moments like that. When someone comes in and they plan what they're going to do, you don't get those accidents."
Off-screen, though, there was a lot less tension between the pair, even if their roles required them to keep a little bit of distance.
"The great thing about him is he could play that character and then soon as the roll was out, he was fun, nice, sweet Brad, throwing the football with the boys out in the yard, and asking me, 'What kind of music do you like? That's one thing I'm out of touch with right now is music.' He's a normal guy," Chastain said.
For his part, Pitt returned the compliments, raving about Chastain in a recent interview with the Associated Press.
"We're going to see great things from her. She's a great find," Pitt said. "She just walked into this thing, and she was throwing punches with me on par and dealing with the unwieldiness of going off-script and working with non-actors. Man, I really relied on her. It takes great talent to keep that focus, and there's real charm and beauty, and she's really bright, this woman. So I think she's capable of a lot of things that we've yet to see."
Speaking of yet to see, "Tree of Life" producers said recently that there was so much extra footage from the film, they're working to make it into its own spinoff movie.
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