Jessica Chastain’s role in ‘The Death and Life of John F. Donovan’ has been cut by director Xavier Dolan but she insists it has been done with the "utmost respect and love".
Chastain had filmed scenes as a journalist-turned-publisher named Moira who exposes correspondence between fictional American TV star John F. Donovan and 11-year-old British boy Rupert Turner but Dolan decided in the edit that her scenes no longer fitted the tone he wanted in his final cut.
The 28-year-old actor-and-director announced his filmmaking decision in an open letter posted on his Instagram account and now Chastain, 40, has shared that letter on her own account on the photo sharing site and assure her fans that she respects Dolan’s choice and the manner in which he informed her.
In a post to her 1.6 million followers, she wrote: "Darlings there’s some #johnfdonovan news. Don’t worry, I was informed in advance of this letter. This has been handled with the upmost respect and love.
"@xavierdolan – I am always impressed with your true committment to telling a story. To be an artist in each moment, you move beyond past ideas and expectations. I love you dearly and look forward to our future collaborations in life and art. [sic]"
French/Canadian filmmaker Dolan – who is making his English language debut with the drama – made a series of Instagram posts explaining why Chastain’s character didn’t make the final cut.
He revealed: "What you need to hear from me is that Jessica Chastain’s character, after what was a long period of reflection, had to be cut from the film. It was an extremely difficult decision to make. I feel, toward Jessica, a very sincere love, and a 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 it’s dreams. There is, in this film, a conversation on show business, yes, but it was in the family dynamics – and, once again, in mothers and sons relationships – that the heart of the film resided.
"Jessica has, since the very beginning, defended this project, and defended me on so many occasions. She is a terrific actress, a politically engaged artist, what is more, who relentlessly champions the cause she believes in.
"She is respected by her peers and beloved by her public. I am disappointed that we didn’t get to reveal the exciting things we crafted together on this one adventure, but life is long, and missed opportunities almost always bode of even greater future collaborations. [sic]"
‘The Death and Life of John F. Donovan’ still boasts an impressive cast which includes Kit Harington, Natalie Portman, Susan Sarando, Thandie Newton, Jacob Tremblay and Sir Michael Gambon.
Jessica Chastain OK with being cut from The Death and Life of John F. Donovan
