‘Zero Dark Thirty’

Female CIA Agent Portrayed as Hero

In reality, her career is more complicated.

In Kathryn Bigelow’s upcoming chronicle of the nearly decade-long hunt for Osama bin Laden, Zero Dark Thirty, the real-life CIA agent at the center of the film has led a more complicated career than the one portrayed. The operative, a bullheaded agent in her 30s, played a crucial role in the capture of bin Laden. Yet shortly after the mission she was passed over for a promotion many adamantly believed she deserved. While colleagues say Jessica Chastain, who plays the character Maya (not the agent's real name), accurately captured her “dedication” and “combative temperament,” jealousy over her fame led to internal friction within the agency. The woman, still undercover, is not allowed to talk to journalists. The CIA declined to comment.