An overflowing talent for acting since she was a child and a solid career in Hollywood made it difficult for her, at times, to be faithful to such a stubborn concern.

Jodie Foster ‘s face has been appearing on screen since she was chosen at the age of three to promote a sunscreen advertisement (the famous Coppertone girl ) and since then she has not stopped appearing on it. Her mother, so fond of cinema to the point of wanting all her children to dedicate themselves to cinema, surely never thought that her little girl would go from being the girl on TV to ending up under the orders of filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese , Claude Chabrol , Robert Zemeckis , David Fincher or Spike Lee . Despite everything, if there is a common denominator that marks the career of the actress and director, it is that of keeping media access to her privacy at bay.

Perhaps knowing from such an early age the dangerous codes under which the entertainment industry operates made him take refuge from such a long shadow and protect his privacy without offering concessions. And, despite being one of the most established stars of his generation, he has managed to maintain a discreet profile for decades. “If you had been a public person since childhood, if you had had to fight to have an authentic and normal life, perhaps you would also protect your privacy above all else,” the actress stated in one of her notorious speeches.

A femme fatale at only 12 years old

He was never the first choice of those responsible for casting in Accused , The Silence of the Lambs or Taxi Driver and, however, those were the titles with which he managed to build a notable career. You never know if the risk of taking on certain roles is worth it until production ends: in Jodie Foster’s case, it always works. Among the countless quotes attributed to him is “if you don’t take risks, you will never achieve anything better than mediocrity . ”

That at only 12 years old she decided to play a teenage prostitute in Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese) not only served to convince the world to put that moral battle aside but also to make them forget that until that moment she had been the friendly face from conservative America to position herself as a young professional determined to commit to more auteur adult cinema. Perhaps today that decision would be perceived differently, but at that cultural moment the rage for lolitas reigned . From Sue Lyon in the film adaptation of Nabokov’s text to Brooke Shields, the 70s were willing to surrender to her character in Scorsese’s film. Playing Iris was the first of her career milestones and for which she earned her first Oscar nomination.

Between an attack of uncontrollable hiccups and still nervous after finishing performing on Saturday Night Live , in the profile that Andy Warhol dedicated to her at the end of 1976 for Interview after a conversation together, the artist decided that nicknamed her “the new femme fatale” was the label that best defined it. It was the end of 1976 and Jodie Foster was closing her big year.

Jodie Foster, in an archive image from 1976

 Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Guilty of attacking the president

While statistics show that adolescence is a swampy terrain for artists who emerge precociously in front of the cameras, Jodie Foster – with intellectual concerns – decides to enter Yale. Such a career in Hollywood, at such a young age, fell short. As stated in a statement by the actress herself in the documentary Jodie Foster, Hollywood in the Skin (available on RTVE Play), “She wanted to be like the others. “I guess coming from where I come from I wanted to fit in and feel accepted . ” The lucidity with which she faces the rules of the entertainment world – and which she documents through her numerous television appearances in the aforementioned documentary – convey the idea that she has always been careful not to lose control over her direction. of her career. And, most importantly, she didn’t let herself be dazzled by how promising she seemed.

However, her time on campus, instead of providing her with a university career like any other girl her age, once again places her in the media spotlight without her being able to do anything to avoid it. John Hinckley Jr., a guy who had been sending her love letters for months, attacked the president of the United States, Ronald Reagan, obsessed with the actress and taking the plot of Taxi Driver as inspiration. Jodie Foster would end up holding a press conference and testifying before the FBI to corroborate that she had no relationship with the accused. Before this episode led to an even greater need to shield her privacy, two years after the tragic event she signed a text for Esquire titled Why me? (Why me?) Where she reproduced all the sensations she experienced living a normal life as a student under the persecuted anonymity.

The 90s, their prodigious decade

If we have to mark a stage as the most outstanding of a lifetime in front of the cameras, the 90s prevail with two Oscars for the actress before turning 28 for two films in a row, Accused and The Silence of the Lambs . As has always been said, Jodie Foster opens the doors of great Hollywood entertainment to women. Of course, through characters as complex as they have a high psychological burden.

The choice of certain roles as a deliberate consequence of episodes in her personal life lead her directly to taking the lead role in Accused (Jonathan Kaplan). According to what they point out, her appearance in the film served him in some way to compensate for her condition as a victim that marked her so much when she was involved in the attack on Reagan. In the 1988 film she plays the protagonist of a multiple rape case in which she is discredited as a victim because she is considered the one who caused the situation. It is said that it was Jodie herself who suggested that her character move away from the idea of ​​the perfect victim in order to offer a more interesting reading.

The critics remained united in their eagerness to praise Jodie for this role and this continued with the arrival of another triumph, that of the unforgettable agent Starling in The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme) two years later. In her role as Clarice, in addition to maneuvering the psyche of a serial killer like Hannibal Lecter, her petite physique makes her way into a male-dominated space. A character – to date, the most memorable of her career – to whom she owes a repeat double of awards (another Oscar and the Golden Globe) as well as consecration as one of the best actresses of her generation. The same year, she set out to direct her first film, Little Tate .

The outing of a celebrity and his relationship with the group

Jodie Foster, at the 2013 Golden Globes

Handout/Getty Images

In 2013, in his gratitude for receiving the Cecil B. DeMille award given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for an entire career, he took the opportunity to make a concession to his privacy in front of millions of viewers. It was the much-discussed ‘coming out’ of the actress who, at 50 years old, married to a woman for 15 years and had two children from both of them, decided to tell what had been obvious for a long time: her sexual orientation. Although at the time there were few women in the entertainment industry who publicly recognized themselves as lesbians, those who did ran the risk of being blacklisted by Hollywood. This is what happened to combative figures like Ellen Degeneres, who for making it public in the 90s in the puppy episode (in which the protagonist realized that she liked women), was punished for years without working together. to his partner in the video, Laura Dern. “It’s been thousands of years since I came out of the closet ,” said Jodie Foster, in what was understood as a speech in which she got very little involved. A watered-down demand that in part she did not find necessary.

His relationship with the LGTBIQ+ collective has gone through delicate moments, especially after the premiere of The Silence of the Lambs . A part of the group, angry with the harmful image that the film cast on trans people, covered New York with posters with the image of the actress in a forced attempt to get her out of the closet. It was she, the most visible face of the film, who was asked to be accountable. Over time, Jodie has ended up being an icon for a movement that does not hesitate to delve into the newspaper library and turn the actress into the well-known gay silence meme , taken from a video interview in which she was asked at the age of 17 if she had boyfriend.

His public appearances are few but notable. And he always seems to choose the Golden Globes to open himself to the world. At the 2021 ceremony, when pandemic restrictions only allowed awards ceremonies in home format, he decided to appear in pajamas (Prada, of course) on the couch at his house with his current wife, photographer Alexandra Hedison. With her he would walk the Cannes red carpet that same year.

Applause for an entire career

On his first visit to the Cannes festival in 1976, he arrived at the age of 13, with impeccable French and three films: Taxi Driver , Bugsy Malone, grandson of Al Capone and The Girl on the Trail . She has been invited on numerous occasions (also representing the films that she has directed) until 45 years later she returned to the Palais to receive the Palm of Honor in 2021. “An exceptional artist” was the combination of words that Pedro Almodóvar chose to present him with the award.

Jodie Foster, in an archive image from 1987

 David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images
A brilliant artistic career, a unique personality and a discreet (but firm) commitment to the great issues of our time were the reasons why the festival that changed his life decided to grant him the honorable recognition. After more than 50 years of career, Jodie Foster confessed that she continues to appreciate the creativity that renews the craft, the magic of images and the authenticity of emotions. Cinema, as she understands it, is there to excite, connect and transform.

And finally, his long-awaited comeback

Unlike the accelerated pace with which she accumulated titles in her filmography when she was little, years can go by without us seeing her appear on screen. The last time, in 2021 with The Mauritanian (Kevin Macdonald). In the same way that she takes care of her private life, she carefully selects the films in which she enters, so it is time to celebrate that this new course brings us her return and, on top of it, twice . For both the small and big screen, Jodie Foster has two titles pending release that could place her as an option among the nominees next awards season.

In Nyad (Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, available on Netflix from November 3) she steps into the shoes of swimmer Diana Nyad’s friend and coach and, from what is perceived by those who have seen her at festivals such as the from Telluride, offers an interpretive recital that overshadows the work of his co-star, Annette Bening, to become the real surprise of the film.

Regarding the field of series, where Foster feels comfortable especially directing episodes ( Orange Is the New Black , Tales from de Loop or Black Mirror ), the premiere at the beginning of the year of True Detective: Polar Night has been announced (Issa López, on HBO Max on January 15). A new installment of the saga starring the actress alongside Kali Reis, who will play a couple of detectives with the mission of discovering the disappearance of a group of men from a research station in the Arctic.