Are Oscar Isaac & Jessica Chastain Still Friends? Why They're Not As Close As They Used To Be

Iconic red carpet duo Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac have maintained a close friendship since their youth. However, this bond was affected when the pair worked on the HBO series, "Scenes From a Marriage." The story features Isaac and Chastain playing two people who watch as their relationship crumbles in front of them. The List consulted Dr. Aldrich Chan, neuropsychologist, author of "Reassembling Models of Reality: Theory and Clinical Practice," and adjunct professor at Pepperdine University, about how acting out these emotional moments could affect a real life relationship, and he had some interesting insights to share in our exclusive interview.

During an appearance on "Today," Chastain reminisced about her long-term friendship with Isaac, which began when they were both students at Juilliard. "We went to college together, so we've been friends more than half of our lives and we know so much about each other," Chastain stated. But, she had different feelings during a conversation with Vanity Fair. Chastain stated that she didn't feel like their friendship could continue in the same way, at least for the time being. 

Dr. Chan backed up the possibility of on-screen actions affecting an off-screen relationship, explaining, "The amygdala ... does not differentiate between actual and acted experiences with precision. Meanwhile, the hippocampus ... can struggle to neatly separate the fictional past from personal memory, leading to a residual emotional imprint that lingers beyond the performance."

Although Jessica Chastain had a breakout year because of the success of "Scenes From a Marriage," the experience affected her personal life. Chastain told Vanity Fair that the intensity of the scenes she shared with Oscar Isaac impacted their close friendship. Since the characters that Chastain and Isaac play in the film go through a divorce, a lot of choice words were exchanged, and even if it all occurred while acting, the wounds of the character can still feel very real. "And I love Oscar, but the reality is, our friendship has never quite been the same," Chastain told the outlet, before adding that she does see them rekindling things in the future. "We're going to be okay, but after that, I was like, I need a little bit of a breather." 

Again, Dr. Chan backed up the possibility of a rekindled, or possibly even improved, friendship between Isaac and Chastain. He explained to The List in our exclusive interview, " ... actors can retrain their neural pathways, ensuring that the intensity of a shared fiction does not dictate the truth of their friendship. In consciously crafting new, grounding experiences, they may reclaim their friendship, and potentially forge an even stronger one."

It's possible they're already on the road to recovery though, as their steamy red carpet chemistry got Twitter talking, and that episode of flirty banter occurred after "Scenes From a Marriage" had already wrapped.