odie Foster attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on September 15, 2024. Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty

Jodie Foster has had a new lease on life since entering her sixth decade.

The actress, 62, revealed that her drive and passion for acting have ebbed and flowed during her five-decade career, which began when she was only 12 years old in Taxi Driver.

“I go through periods of time where I get burnt out and then I have to find the love again,” Foster told Laverne Cox on the E! red carpet pre-show ahead of the 2024 Emmy Awards on Sept. 15.

However, a recent milestone birthday has completely altered how she looks at her career.

“I think turning 60 changed everything,” Foster said. “The happy pill came to me, and I was just so happy to not have to compete with myself, my former self, and to be able to just have a new career that’s really, I don’t know, just about a different part of myself.”

Jodie Foster attends the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards.Getty Images

Foster — who is nominated for outstanding actress in a limited series or movie for True Detective: Night Country — said she doesn’t “miss all the things you do in your twenties and thirties” in Hollywood, and she’s happy with the place she’s now at in her career.

“I just love making films. I love being a part of the experience, and more than that, I like being a member of a team, I like serving other people, and telling stories that ultimately can help make people better instead of worse.”

As she and Cox, 52, reflected on a particularly lengthy shoot for Orange Is the New Black, Foster added, “People forget — making movies and TV is hard work. There’s a lot that goes into it, and a lot of passion and love. And when you do it, it’s not because you wanna get your picture taken, it’s because you wanna work hard to make something beautiful.”

Jodie Foster attends the Los Angeles premiere of ‘True Detective: Night Country’ at Paramount Theatre on January 9, 2024.Robin L Marshall/FilmMagic

The Nyad star previously opened up about how turning 60 last year was “one of the best days of my life.”

“I think it’s some kind of hormone or something that got injected into my system,” she said on the Today show in January, “I don’t know, I just feel like suddenly nothing really mattered and everything’s a bonus. I was just happy and content, and I wasn’t competing with my old self. I had no expectations for what was happening, and I was ready for what was gonna come.”