Foster shared that the moment she was offered the lead role in the series she immediately had no second thoughts about accepting it due to being a huge fan of the iconic first season of True Detective starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. Despite her acclaimed performance in the 1991 horror classic Silence of the Lambs, a film that made history at the Academy Awards by sweeping the big four Oscars (Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Screenplay), Foster chose not to reprise her role in the 2001 sequel Hannibal, leading to Julianne Moore taking over. Foster credited True Detective with reigniting her “deep, gnawing curiosity” for the horror genre.

true detective - night country starring jodie foster and kali reis

“The second they said True Detective, I was reading within minutes,” Foster stated. “I couldn’t not choose it — it was just too good. I loved the original True Detective and was a big fan. I feel so honored to be a part of this project and to be in one of the anthologies. That first season meant so much to me — I’d seen it a couple of times.”

In True Detective: Night Country, written and directed by Mexican horror filmmaker Issa López, Foster plays Detective Liz Danvers. Danvers collaborates with her estranged former partner Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) to investigate the disappearance of several men from the Tsalal Arctic Research Station in the small town of Ennis, Alaska.

True Detective: Night Country Takes Inspiration From Iconic Horror Films

López acknowledged Foster’s background in the genre, praising Jonathan Demme’s Silence of the Lambs for initiating the mainstream popularity of psychological horror. Drawing inspiration from films such as John Carpenter’s The Thing, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, and Ridley Scott’s Alien, López indicated her intent to tap into the supernatural elements combined with vigorous detective work and a substantial dosage of horror seen in True Detective‘s first season.

Jodie Foster and Kali Reis in True Detective: Night Country
Kali Reis and Jodie Foster in True Detective: Night Country True Detective: Night Country's Liz arranges her photos in a spiral True Detective: Night Country's Liz finds the spiral symbol in Alaska

“The script just gripped me, and I saw such resonance and so many things that I wanted to talk about — grief and how the dead walk among us,” Foster explained. “And then I met Issa — that did it pretty much — that meeting with Issa. I knew that I wanted to serve her vision and to help her get there. I would do anything for her. I think we just had that immediate connection.” True Detective: Night Country was recently released to widespread acclaim with a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score.

True Detective: Night Country is currently available for streaming on Max.