When Meryl Streep was awarded an honorary Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the Oscar winner admitted she thought her career would be over by 40. “That was not an unrealistic expectation for actresses at that time,” she said. But, as Streep and many other stars like Jodie Foster have proven, there’s no such thing as “too old” for Hollywood anymore.

In fact, in a recent roundtable interview for The Hollywood Reporter, Foster admitted acting has only become more enjoyable for her over time.

“Well, it gets better, right?” the Nyad star told the outlet. “The generation before us kept telling us that things were just going to get worse — we’ll hit 40 and it’s over. And I have to say, I’ve never been as happy as an actor as when I turned 60.”

Joining Foster in the roundtable were fellow Hollywood powerhouses Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Aniston, Sofía Vergara, Brie Larson, Anna Sawai and Naomi Watts.

“There’s just some kind of contentedness about it not being all about me and walking onto a set and saying, ‘How can my experience or whatever my wisdom is, how can it serve you?’” Foster explained. “Bringing that to the table, not only is it more fun and more freeing, but it’s also easy. It’s super easy because you’re not filled with anxiety about the things that maybe younger people are filled with anxiety about.”

In other words, while a younger Foster might’ve gone to set insecure about her skills and overthinking every single thing, her current self knows how talented she is and just wants to help and serve instead.

Nyad, Jodie Foster, 2023. (Kimberley French / © Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection)©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection

Speaking of more enjoyable, Foster, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 2024 Academy Awards, also talked about her decision to step back from leading roles.

“I just got bored with it,” she admitted. “And I’ve learned so much from new voices… who’ve finally been given the freedom to air themselves.”

“I want to hear them and I want to support them,” she continued. “It’s so much more fun than being number one on the call sheet and having to carry the burden of the narrative.”

The Silence of the Lambs, Jodie Foster, 1991. (Ken Regan / © Orion Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection)©Orion Pictures Corp/Courtesy Everett Collection

In fact, Foster admitted to seeing herself largely as a mentor to her younger peers. “I guess I fancy myself as some kind of mother figure,” she said. “If I see somebody drunk and on their face at an event, for example, I might be like, ‘So, what’s going on?’”

“Because I feel for them, and I really am grateful for my mom getting me through all of that,” she added. “Somehow I managed to have a series of rules that allowed me to survive.”

Not only did Foster survive, but she’s proving there’s no expiry date to an actress’ success in Hollywood. In addition to the critically acclaimed Nyad, she’s continued to star in hit movies and TV shows including True Detective and The Mauritanian. We can’t wait to see what she’ll do next.