Jodie Foster, the two-time Academy Award-winning actress and director, made headlines last week when she opened up about her fraught relationship with acting. Once, she loved the profession but now describes it as “a cruel job.” The Oscar-winning star got her start when she was just three years old. She’s experienced the beauty and the beast of this entertainment industry.
Foster’s acting career started with a 1970 Coppertone commercial, when she was three years old. This early start led to a childhood filled with roles in television shows and films, including her first film appearance at age six and her notable role in the 1973 adaptation of “Tom Sawyer.” At the age of 12, she played the character of a child prostitute in Martin Scorsese’s masterpiece “Taxi Driver.” This performance went on to be one of her most famous and memorable roles.
For all her success at a young age, Foster has spoken out against the stress and expectations put on young actors. She knows what kind of danger comes with the job, especially for kids. In a recent interview, she opened up about her history as a child actor. It is those experiences that inspire her to connect with and nurture the young talents of today.
“I don’t know why anyone would want to be an actor now, if they knew that in order to be excellent they would have to contend with being robbed of their life in a way.” – Jodie Foster
The way that Foster thinks about acting has changed over the years. All she knows is that she used to love the art form as a kid. Today, she laments the confusion over why anyone would want to take on such a high-stress, high-stakes profession.
In her career beyond acting, Foster has advocated for the lack of opportunities afforded to female directors in Hollywood. She noted that just 15 years ago, there had never been a woman on the list of top 25 mainstream movie directors. She never saw a female name amongst them. At a glance, this gender disparity extends to big-budget, commercial films as well. She claimed that women get passed over for directing gigs due to being inexperienced.
“If you’re making a movie that has a certain risk attached to it … they would say: ‘Wow, there’s no woman that’s directed a movie that cost $125m’ … The idea was not to give women these huge mega movies if they had not had any experience. How about giving women the experience first?” – Jodie Foster
Counteracting these inequities In response to these disparities, Foster has made deliberate choices with her own directing career, helming films with female directors. This is a big departure from her past collaborations which have been mostly male directors. Her most recent one, A Private Life, is a French-language comedy/thriller directed by Rebecca Zlotowski.
Foster opened up about her unusual approach to acting and directing. Knowing this, she said, “It makes my work a little bit different, because I don’t want to act just to act. As a producer, she is excited by the collaborative process that filmmaking affords and is passionate about creating space for emerging filmmakers. … Acting is a trait of her disposition she hardly ever has to employ.
“It’s a part of my personality that I just never get to use, and half my culture.” – Jodie Foster
Together, Foster’s experience in the entertainment world serves as a great example of the struggles and positives involved with being an actor. As she navigates her career and advocates for change within the industry, she continues to inspire young actors while reflecting critically on her own experiences.