Jessica Chastain shocked and hurt by Bigelow's Best Director Oscar snub

Oscar nominee JESSICA CHASTAIN felt like she had been shot through the heart after learning director KATHRYN BIGELOW had missed out on a Best Director Academy Award nomination for their gritty drama ZERO DARK THIRTY.

The actress won critical acclaim for her role as a tough CIA agent who uncovers the whereabouts of terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden, leading to his real-life assassination in Pakistan on 2 May, 2011.

The performance, which earned her a Golden Globe Award last week (13Jan13), landed her a nod for Best Actress at the Oscars next month (Feb13), while Zero Dark Thirty was also shortlisted for Best Picture - but Chastain was devastated when she discovered Bigelow had been snubbed as a contender for her filmmaking skills.

The Help beauty tells breakfast show Today on Friday (18Jan13), "When I found out she didn't get nominated it really felt like an arrow into my heart because so much of my performance is because of her and her trust in me and her guidance in my role."

Bigelow's snub wasn't the only shocker when the Academy Awards nominations were announced recently - Ben Affleck was also overlooked in the same category. He has since picked up a Critics' Choice Award and Golden Globe for Best Director for Argo.