Jessica Chastain is everywhere these days thanks to her strong Twitter presence, and dedication to bettering the entertainment industry for women, from the inside out. But there's one buzz-worthy Hollywood moment in which she will not be appearing: the star-studded film, The Death and Life of John F. Donovan. The movie has been teasing Chastain's involvement in the film since 2015, but it was announced late last night that her character would no longer be appearing in the film.
The announcement was made by the film's director and co-writer, Xavier Dolan, who garnered attention for his breakout film, I Killed My Mother in 2008. This film is Dolan's first English feature, and he was able to cast the hell out of it. Even with Chastain out of the film, it still boasts Kit Harington as the titular role, Jacob Tremblay, Kathy Bates, Natalie Portman, Taylor Kitsch, and Bella Thorne.
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Dolan shared the news on his Instagram in a lengthy and emotional statement detailing exactly why the Oscar-nominated actress no longer fit into the narrative. The 28-year-old writes, "It was an extremely difficult decision to make. I feel, toward Jessica, a very sincere love and great admiration. The decision was editorial and narrative, in that it has nothing to do with a performance, and everything to do with a character, and the compatibility of its storyline. This ‘villain’ subplot, albeit funny and entertaining, didn’t feel like it belonged to the rest of the story, which ended up not being on heroes or their nemesis, but rather on childhood, and its dreams."
Chastain responded with an equally bittersweet post, gushing about the director and his "true commitment to telling a story." It appears he was quite distressed over the decision to remove her character from the plot.
On Twitter, fans are reacting to the news, with many savouring what few glimpses they had of their "villainous gossip columnist."
In loving memory of what we’ll never have: Jessica Chastain in Xavier Dolan’s next film :( pic.twitter.com/gesWXn7IU6
— bella (@isvbella) February 5, 2018