Jessica Chastain brushes off THAT sexually charged red carpet exchange with co-star Oscar Isaac

Jessica Chastain has opened up about the viral video of her co-star Oscar Isaac sensually kissing her arm at the Venice Film Festival, saying ‘everybody is super sexy in slow motion.’ 

The actress, 44, was promoting their new HBO miniseries Scenes from a Marriage on the Today show Wednesday when she was asked about the sexually charged red carpet exchange that sent Twitter into a frenzy this week. 

The slow-motion video shows Chastain posing with her arm draped around Isaac’s shoulder as he tenderly caressed her bicep. They shared a gaze before Isaac, 42, leaned over and kissed her arm, prompting her to laugh and pull him in for a hug.

The seemingly seductive display broke the internet as titillated fans gushed over their palpable chemistry, but Chastain insisted that it was actually a funny moment between her and her longtime friend, whom she has known since college. 

Candid: Jessica Chastain, 44, was on the Today show Wednesday when she dished about her seemingly sexy red carpet moment with her Scenes from a Marriage co-star Oscar Isaac, 42

Looking back: A slow-motion video of the sexually charged exchange went viral, but she said it was actually more of a funny moment between them

Looking back: A slow-motion video of the sexually charged exchange went viral, but she said it was actually more of a funny moment between them 

‘Let me just say, though, this is a slow-motion video, and everybody is super sexy in slow motion,’ she said of the footage from Saturday’s Scenes from a Marriage premiere. 

Chastain went on to explain what had really happened at that moment, saying Isaac was going to give her an affectionate kiss on her elbow when she suddenly moved her body. 

‘I think it was really funny because when you look at it in regular speed, I’m looking straight ahead and he looks over at me and he just kind of goes to give me a peck on my elbow, and at the same time, I’m going to give him a hug,’ she said.

‘So all of a sudden, his face ends up in my armpit. He made a joke out of it. Look, he’s smiling there!’ she added while watching the footage. ‘All the photographers started laughing, and were like, “What just happened?”‘

When Today host Sheinelle Jones noted they are ‘happy married,’ Chastain added: ‘To other people!’   

Looking back: The actress insisted the exchange looked sexier than it was because they were in slow motion, saying Isaac meant to affectionately kiss her elbow

Looking back: The actress insisted the exchange looked sexier than it was because they were in slow motion, saying Isaac meant to affectionately kiss her elbow 

Hilarious: Chastain explained that Isaac went to give her a peck on the elbow at the same time she leaned in to hug him, which resulted in him ending up in her armpit

Hilarious: Chastain explained that Isaac went to give her a peck on the elbow at the same time she leaned in to hug him, which resulted in him ending up in her armpit

Hilarious: Chastain explained that Isaac went to give her a peck on the elbow at the same time she leaned in to hug him, which resulted in him ending up in her armpit

Clarification: When Today host Sheinelle Jones noted they are 'happy married,' Chastain added: 'To other people!'

Clarification: When Today host Sheinelle Jones noted they are ‘happy married,’ Chastain added: ‘To other people!’

The actress joked that the video went viral because people are craving human interaction more than ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

‘We have all been locked in our houses for so long. When this video went viral, I was like, people just need to see people touch and hold each other,’ she said.  

Chastain has taken the online attention in stride, and she poked fun at the video on Monday by tweeting a picture of Gomez Addams from The Addams Family films kissing his wife Morticia’s arm.  

She captioned the image ‘Sept 12th’ — a reference to the premiere of their upcoming miniseries. The tweet was also a nod to Isaac, who voiced Gomez in the 2019 animated remake of The Addams Family. 

Chastain and Isaac’s red carpet antics have earned them comparisons to Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, who sparked their own unfounded affair rumors while promoting A Star is Born in 2018.  

Chemistry: Chastain and Isaac sent Twitter into a frenzy after he kissed her arm at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday

Chemistry: Chastain and Isaac sent Twitter into a frenzy after he kissed her arm at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday

Close as can be: While attending the premiere of their new HBO miniseries Scenes from a Marriage, Chastain posed for photos with her left arm draped around Isaac

Close as can be: While attending the premiere of their new HBO miniseries Scenes from a Marriage, Chastain posed for photos with her left arm draped around Isaac

Too hot to handle: They shared a gaze before Isaac leaned over and kissed her arm

Too hot to handle: They shared a gaze before Isaac leaned over and kissed her arm

Bringing the heat: Chastain laughed and pulled in Isaac for a hug as photographers snapped their pictures

Bringing the heat: Chastain laughed and pulled in Isaac for a hug as photographers snapped their pictures 

Affectionate: The Scenes from a Marriage co-stars hugged and kissed while they walked the red carpet together

Affectionate: The Scenes from a Marriage co-stars hugged and kissed while they walked the red carpet together

Affectionate: The Scenes from a Marriage co-stars hugged and kissed while they walked the red carpet together 

All eyes on them: Chastain noted in her Today interview that she and Isaac have been close friends for most of their adult lives

All eyes on them: Chastain noted in her Today interview that she and Isaac have been close friends for most of their adult lives 

Viral: The video shared by film critic Christina Newland has been viewed more than 11 million times, inspiring a flurry of comments about how incredibly 'sexy' the moment was to watch

Viral: The video shared by film critic Christina Newland has been viewed more than 11 million times, inspiring a flurry of comments about how incredibly ‘sexy’ the moment was to watch

Film critic Christina Newland shared the footage on Twitter on Saturday, writing: ‘I wish I had words for this but I really do not.’ 

The video has been viewed more than 11 million times, inspiring a flurry of comments about how incredibly ‘sexy’ the moment was to watch. 

‘Oh my sweet lord,’ responded actress Busy Philipps, while another fan gushed: ‘This video of Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain is quite literally the sexiest thing I have ever seen.’

‘I have many theories about why this is so sexy, but one is the sudden onset of laser-focused attention in the middle of a chaotic environment,’ tweeted author Linda Holmes. 

Someone else added: ‘The way we have latched onto that video of Oscar Isaac smouldering at Jessica Chastain…as a society we are starved for on screen sexual tension.’  

Happily wed: Chastain has been married to fashion executive Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo since 2017 (

Isaac wed his wife, filmmaker Elvira Lind, in 2017 as well

Happily wed: Chastain has been married to fashion executive Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo since 2017 (L), while Isaac wed his wife, filmmaker Elvira Lind, that same year (R)

Rumors: Many people were shocked to learn that the co-stars are both married to other people, leading some to wrongly speculate that they are having an affair

Rumors: Many people were shocked to learn that the co-stars are both married to other people, leading some to wrongly speculate that they are having an affair

Many people were shocked to learn that the co-stars are both married to other people, leading some to wrongly speculate that they are having an affair. 

However, Isaac’s wife, filmmaker Elvira Lind, was at the premiere and watching from the sidelines as he and Chastain put on a show for the cameras.  

Isaac and Lind have been married since 2017 and have two children together, while Chastain and her husband, fashion executive Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo, also wed that year and have two children together. 

‘Are Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac having an affair? Because wow,’ one fan wrote, while another asked: ‘How in the hell are Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain going to beat the having an affair allegations???’

Someone else shared a photo of Isaac’s wife at the premiere, tweeting: ‘SHE WAS RIGHT THERE?’

A number of people pointed out that noticeable chemistry between two actors is not an indicator of an affair. Some cited Cooper and Gaga as an example, insisting their flirty exchanges were merely a ploy to promote their movie.  

Looking back: The video led to a number of comparisons to Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, who sparked their own unfounded affair rumors while promoting A Star is Born in 2018

Looking back: The video led to a number of comparisons to Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, who sparked their own unfounded affair rumors while promoting A Star is Born in 2018 

Remember? A number of people pointed out that noticeable chemistry between two actors is not an indicator of an affair, with some citing Cooper and Gaga as an example

Remember? A number of people pointed out that noticeable chemistry between two actors is not an indicator of an affair, with some citing Cooper and Gaga as an example

‘Reminds me of the Bradley Cooper/Lady Gaga scandal. People thought something was going on since they seemed so close,’ one Twitter user explained. ‘Then they both ended up breaking up with their partners. And then what happened…nothing.’ 

‘lrt: this reaction to Jessica Chastain/Oscar Isaac reminds me of the way some people lost their minds over Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper a couple of years ago. Sexual chemistry is not the same as having an affair!’ someone else stressed.

‘I’m sorry, but y’all a weird asf over that Oscar Isaac/Jessica Chastain,’ another agreed. ‘Was it hot? Yes! Do I think they’re engaged in a torrid affair? No! Go outside and touch grass.’ 

Chastain and Isaac both studied at Julliard have been close friends for most of their adults lives. They co-starred in the 2014 film A Most Violent Year before taking on their latest project, Scenes from a Marriage. 

The five-episode series was adapted from Ingmar Bergman’s 1973 Swedish classic of the same names and chronicles the ups and downs of a troubled relationship. 

The actors admitted that being old friends was a mixed blessing when it came to playing married couple Mira and Jonathan in the HBO miniseries. 

Sense of humor: Chastain poked fun at the viral video on Monday by tweeting a picture of Gomez Addams from The Addams Family films kissing his wife Morticia's arm

Sense of humor: Chastain poked fun at the viral video on Monday by tweeting a picture of Gomez Addams from The Addams Family films kissing his wife Morticia’s arm

On-screen love: Chastain and Isaac play married couple Mira and Jonathan in their new HBO miniseries Scenes from  Marriage

On-screen love: Chastain and Isaac play married couple Mira and Jonathan in their new HBO miniseries Scenes from  Marriage 

Old pals: Chastain and Isaac both studied at Julliard have been close friends since college

Old pals: Chastain and Isaac both studied at Julliard have been close friends since college

‘We would joke that [the friendship] is a blessing and a curse,’ Chastain told Deadline. ‘It’s a blessing because there’s immediate trust. You don’t have to be worried about offending. You can be very honest. 

‘The difficult thing is that at times we were reading each other’s minds. It was like, “Get out of my head.” So, I felt on this job there was no quiet time.’

Isaac added: ‘Professionally, it’s great when you know someone so well because you don’t have to worry about a lot of stuff you usually worry about. 

‘However, on something this intense you care about the person so much, because it’s like working with family. If you didn’t know someone so well, getting your own space isn’t so hard.’

Chastain said they had an intimacy coordinator who helped them navigate their sex scenes, but she admitted that it was still somewhat awkward.   

‘Oscar and I are very comfortable with each other so we had our own separate talks. That was helpful,’ she explained, adding: ‘I would still get embarrassed, though, so bourbon helped a lot. But the level of trust was high.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk