CIA agent depicted in ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ not too popular

The Lookout
Jessica Chastain stars as Maya in "Zero Dark Thirty" (Jonathan Olley/Columbia Pictures)
Jessica Chastain stars as Maya in "Zero Dark Thirty" (Jonathan Olley/Columbia Pictures)

"Zero Dark Thirty," a film about the tracking and killing of Osama bin Laden, is one of the year's most anticipated movies. Directed by Oscar-winner Kathryn Bigelow ("The Hurt Locker"), the film tells the untold story of what it took to find and kill the 9/11 mastermind.

The Washington Post reports that one of the main CIA operatives responsible for bin Laden's capture has run into some career roadblocks in recent months. As portrayed by Jessica Chastain, the character of Maya is ambitious, intelligent and relentless. However, in real life Maya (not her real name) is apparently unpopular around the office.

The Post reports that the operative and several other agents were awarded the CIA's Distinguished Intelligence Medal, one of the agency's highest honors. However, after an email was sent to staff members announcing the award, the agent hit the reply-all button and expressed her feelings that only she was worthy of the award. A former CIA official quoted by the Post said her response could be summed up with: "You guys tried to obstruct me. You fought me. Only I deserve the award."

Of course, when you're hunting the world's most-wanted man, one would think you'd be forgiven for having a lack of manners. But the woman has apparently been denied a promotion that would have resulted in a significant raise (she was given a cash reward for her work, though). The former CIA official said he and others were stunned by the denied promotion, according to the Washington Post. "Do you know how many CIA officers are jerks?" he said. "If that was a disqualifier, the whole National Clandestine Service would be gone."

The film, while a lock for Oscar nominations, is also drawing fire for the way in which it portrays the CIA as using torture as a means for obtaining information. This week, the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee plans to vote on whether to approve the release of thousands of pages of documents detailing the interrogation procedures used to hunt bin Laden.