Chastain: I don't get the Oscars

Jessica Chastain hasn't cracked the awards formula.

The flame haired actress has twice been nominated for an Academy Award and while she's yet to take home an Oscar, she has won countless other accolades.

The 37-year-old is thrilled to even be contending, but hasn't quite worked out which performance will garner such high-profile attention.

"It's a formula I don't understand. Some of my favourite performances don't get acknowledged. Marion Cotillard in Rust and Bone is perfection. Shailene Woodley in The Descendants. Isabelle Huppert has never been nominated; she's my favourite actress in the world!" she admitted to People magazine, adding: "It's fun to be part of the conversation."

Her role in J.C. Chandor's crime thriller A Most Violent Year earned her a best actress Golden Globe nomination, but she missed out to Patricia Arquette in Boyhood.

However the slick movie has acquired her a few new fans, who particularly liked one scene where she asserted her authority while tossing a cigarette.

"That was a Chastain invention. I had no idea people would be coming up to me and flicking a cigarette and quoting my line, 'This was very disrespectful.' It's very cool," she smiled.

Jessica sent the Twittersphere into a frenzy on Friday after appearing on UK chat show The Graham Norton Show alongside legendary broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough.

Explaining the mating calls of certain birds, David cheekily winked at Jessica and demonstrated how the male bird flicks the female as a mating call.

"That wouldn't work with me at all," Jessica laughed.

"It would. I can show you later!" retorted David, much to the audience's delight.