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She plays a hard-hearted, pillpopping, power-hungry, doublecrossing Washington DC lobbyist who is seemingly devoid of an emotional cell. Detached from others, she does not sleep, rarely eats and employs male escorts in businesslike fashion. No cuddling or small talk, thanks.

“This female character is really confusing people,” Chastain says on the phone from Paris. “But every woman is a strong woman, right? Just as every man has sensitivity. People have said I play a lot of strong women and she [Elizabeth Sloane] is absolutely a powerful woman.”

In the film, Sloane, the most sought-after lobbyist on Capitol Hill, is asked to take a pro-gun approach for a client. Instead, she joins an underdog firm that represents the ethical side of the fight. She is determined to win, even if it means using espionage and deceit. She’s hard-core, without what some might think of as womanly characteristics.

“What are womanly characteristics?” asks Chastain. “I think women should be whoever they want to be, soft and docile or strong and loud. For too long we