Jodie Foster is a great performer whose skills seem to transcend generations. It doesn’t matter whether she’s stuck in a poorly scripted film (chances are you won’t see her in one of those) or starring in a high-concept drama; Foster will always provide the dramatic balance the film needs. Forget method acting, or even education. She simply knows how to do it. Her career as an actor transitioned into a figure that could also make a dent in the industry by standing behind the camera. Her work as a director is outstanding as well.

An early riser (she learned how to read when she was just three), Foster’s childhood was plagued with low and high-profile acting gigs. In 1976, she broke through with performances in Echoes of a Summer, Bugsy Malone, Freaky Friday, The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane, and Taxi Driver, which gave her an Oscar nomination. However, in the early 1980s, when she became a college student at Yale, Foster decided acting wasn’t her thing.

She starred in a few films, but they weren’t notable performances. It wasn’t until The Accused that she proved her role in Taxi Driver wasn’t a novelty based on her age, and she was actually an extremely capable actor. The rest of her career speaks for itself.

Fresh out of the announcement that Foster would attend the Academy Awards again, having helmed a nod for her role in Netflix’s Nyad, we decided to take a trip down memory lane through the performances that made her a strong contender at the Oscars. Even if she didn’t win all of them, it’s a very interesting journey down the career of one of Hollywood’s most important figures.

Nyad Is a Great Example of Foster’s Abilities Restrained in a Traditional Role

Nyad

PG-13

Release DateSeptember 1, 2023
DirectorElizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi , Jimmy Chin
CastAnnette Bening , Jodie Foster , Rhys Ifans

Nyad is a Netflix biographical film that depicts the story of swimmer Diana Nyad and her continuous attempt to accomplish the impossible. The 60-year-old made it a mission in life to complete a 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida, giving her a record in long-distance swimming. Bonnie Stoll, Nyad’s friend and former partner, is the character played by Foster, and after seeing what Nyad is attempting to do, Stoll decides to join her team as her trainer and unconditional partner throughout the whole journey.

Is Foster’s Role in Nyad Good Enough for Her to Win?

Foster’s performance in Nyad is the very definition of a good supporting role. Her figure in the film is key to understanding the conflict from an outsider’s perspective—a task we are assigned as viewers, but a difficult one nonetheless, given how the main character’s mission is understandable but a bit hard to justify from an objective point of view. She’s the dramatic center of the film, and as good as Annette Bening’s role as Nyad is (nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role), Foster provides the necessary turning point between empathy and logic.

It isn’t Foster’s best role in her long career. But she’s not often seen in films today. Her performance in Nyad feels like a present to modern audiences they didn’t know they actually needed. Her nomination is a great nod, but it will be hard to compete against this year’s favorite, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who broke through with her performance in Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers.