By the time she’d even left her teenage years behind, Jodie Foster had starred in 15 movies, appeared in almost 30 TV shows, won two Baftas, and been nominated for an Academy Award. She was vastly experienced at an early age, and having an old head on young shoulders served her very well in the years to come.

History is littered with child actors who struggle to make the jump into finding sustained success in adults, but considering Foster had two Oscar wins under her belt before turning 30, it would be an understatement to say she navigated those pitfalls effortlessly.

More was to come, though, with Foster always intent on trying her hand at directing. She made her debut on a 1988 episode of George A Romero’s anthology series Tales from the Darkside, upgraded to features three years later with Little Man Tate, helmed dramedy Home for the Holidays, dark comedy The Beaver, and thriller Money Monster, in addition to taking on episodes of multiple TV hits, including Orange is the New Black, House of Cards, and Black Mirror.

Foster’s career behind the camera has been sporadically accomplished, but she’s never been able to pull off her true passion project, with circumstances constantly ripping the dream away whenever it’s felt close. A love story set in the 1930s, Flora Plum was scripted by Steven Rogers and follows a circus performer who takes a penniless girl under his wing and sets her on the road to superstardom.

The Silence of the Lambs star was announced as the director in January 1999, with Claire Danes set to play the title role. Russell Crowe was lined up as the male lead, but scheduling conflicts and injury ruled him out. Three years later, Ewan McGregor signed on to replace him, with Meryl Streep also circling a part in the ensemble.

By 2009, Foster still hadn’t given up hope, with Evan Rachel Wood eying the main character, but too many setbacks ultimately forced her to admit defeat. In fact, when asked by Total Film if Flora Plum was the one that got away and would haunt her for the rest of her days as a missed opportunity, she had no choice but to agree.

“It is, but, you know, we shut down two weeks before shooting, and I put it back together twice after that,” she said. “I can honestly say I feel like I’ve made that movie. I don’t think it will ever happen now.” Flora Plum just goes to show that not even legendary actors can will a project into existence simply because they want to, even if it’s hard to buy Foster’s claims that she’s at peace with how things turned out.

After all, she persevered through several false starts over the course of two decades and watching every single one of them fall apart despite her best efforts has got to sting, regardless of how brave a face she tried to put on.