Jodie Foster is happy to mentor the next crop of actors — especially if it includes humbling them.

The True Detective: Night Country star has some thoughts about Gen-Zers, specifically that they can be “really annoying, especially in the workplace.” Foster aired her grievances in a recent interview with The Guardian,

“They’re like, ‘Nah, I’m not feeling it today, I’m gonna come in at 10:30 a.m.,’” she said of today’s workers who were born in the late 1990s and early 2000s. “Or, like, in emails, I’ll tell them this is all grammatically incorrect, did you not check your spelling? And they’re like, ‘Why would I do that, isn’t that kind of limiting?’”

Jodie Foster. MATT WINKELMEYER/GETTY IMAGES FOR ELLE
Gripes aside, Foster doesn’t hold a grudge against Gen Z. In fact, she makes a concerted effort to mentor many of the up-and-comers with whom she crosses paths.

“I do a lot of reaching out to young actresses,” she explained. “I’m compelled. Because it was hard growing up.”

Given her own experience with child stardom, Foster is well positioned to serve as an industry sage. She landed her first role, in a TV commercial, at the age of 3 and later dazzled audiences in Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver at just 12 years old. The performance earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, launching her into the world of Hollywood fame.

Now she enjoys helping others navigate the complex early period of their careers. “They need to learn how to relax, how to not think about it so much, how to come up with something that’s theirs,” Foster told The Guardian. “I can help them find that, which is so much more fun than being, with all the pressure behind it, the protagonist of the story.”

Bella Ramsey and Jodie Foster. KAYLA OADDAMS/FILMMAGIC
Foster recently introduced herself to Bella Ramsey, the 20-year-old performer who’s enjoying massive success following the first season of the acclaimed series The Last of Us. Last month, per Foster’s request, Ramsey introduced her at the Elle magazine Women in Hollywood celebration.

“I reached out to Bella, because we’d never met, and said, ‘I want you to introduce me at this thing,’ which is a wonderful event about actors and people in the movies,” Foster said, “but is also very much a fashion thing. Which means it’s determining who represents us.”

Although the organizers tried to bring diversity to the event, Foster said she felt disappointed that most attendees were “wearing heels and eyelashes.” She explained, “There are other ways of being a woman, and it’s really important for people to see that.”

But she praised Ramsey, who identifies as nonbinary. Said Foster, “Bella, who gave the best speech, was wearing the most perfect suit, beautifully tailored, and a middle parting and no makeup.”