Focus Features

In the Movieline interview with Jessica Chastain, S.T. VanAirsdale covers a lot of ground about the rising star. At one point, VanAirsdale asks about her preparation for her roles, especially her recent Krav Maga training. Chastain explains:

Whenever I research or work on a character, I totally disappear into it. I could speak German when I was working on THE DEBT! I took a German course months before we started shooting; I had a German coach. Now I can't speak anything; every once in a while I'll hear something and I remember it. But it was very short-term memory for me. I did four months of Krav Maga -- many times a week -- and there are some things about it that I remember. One of the things about it was that it's a state of mind. My trainer told me, "It's not about self-defense; it's about killing your opponent as quickly as possible." So there is that ruthlessness and effectiveness with Krav Maga -- do it as quickly and as cleanly as you can -- that I do remember. But who Jessica is when I'm not playing a part is very separate from it. I'm not a fighter at all. I very much try to be a peacemaker with my friends and my family. I don't like confrontation. I feel very far away from the Rachel Singer I played when we were making that movie.