Jessica Chastain proud of `Zero Dark Thirty` role

London: Actress Jessica Chastain hopes to break Hollywood gender stereotypes by portraying strong-willed CIA agent Maya in Katherine Bigelow`s drama `Zero Dark Thirty`.

The 35-year-old was shocked to see a woman at the centre of Bigelow`s Golden Globe nominated film in which she plays a real life CIA agent, who helped end the 10-year manhunt for Osama Bin Laden, reported Daily Star. "When I read the script, from the very beginning I was shocked that there was a woman at the centre of it. Then I was disgusted with myself that I was shocked by it. Why would I be so shocked? Of course, a woman could have done this. "`You start looking at lead female characters in film, they`re usually defined by the men in their lives. They`re either the victim of the man or the love interest of the man," she said. PTI