Jodie Foster
On swear jars, seal kisses and SpongeBob popsicles.
by Justin Clark
March 19, 2008
In Hollywood, when the tabloids leave you alone, it usually isn't a good sign. In rare cases such as Jodie Foster's, however, it's merely a sign of longevity. Forty-some years into her career, the former child star is uniquely capable of taking long hiatuses from film and still making box office comebacks — see 2002's Panic Room and 2005's Flightplan. Like the tough yet vulnerable roles that have made her famous, the two-time Oscar winner seems to have a knack for earning the public's sympathy while keeping the paparazzi at bay. Not surprisingly, the same resilience has helped her mother two sons, Charles and Kit (nine and six, respectively), with film producer Cydney Bernard.
In April, Foster will appear in Nim's Island, the story of an agoraphobic adventure writer (Foster) who is persuaded to leave her apartment sanctuary and travel to the South Pacific to rescue a resourceful young fan named Nim (Little Miss Sunshine's Abigail Breslin). While promoting the film, Foster talked about how to raise self-reliant children without packing them off to a deserted island. — Justin Clark
Can you talk about what attracted you to this project? Was it the comedy aspect?
Yeah, I've been wanting to do a comedy for a long time, actually, and Maverick was such a great experience. I really enjoyed it and lightness is a part of life, too. You're not all just darkness. But I couldn't find anything that was good enough, and I read this script and kept banging on doors and lobbying for it.
"I think silly's good."
They had a different arrangement with the studio at that time and they were not keen on me at all — understandably, because they know me for my dark dramas.
Is there anything that would be too silly for you?
I think silly's good. You're looking for that. What's interesting to me in this movie is that I find myself talking about things like fear and this sort of solitary world that she's created, finding a hero in yourself. And those are all themes that I've played in dramas many, many times. In very dark dramas. And here I am doing a comedy about them. It's kind of like making fun of your most precious thing. You're making fun of the fragile parts of yourself. You have to have an ability to make fun of yourself in order to be a comedy actor.
Is there anything that would be too far out for you?
Oh, I'm sure there's plenty of Jim Carrey-esque stuff that I'm not sure I would be well-equipped to do, but that my sons just love. I do like wit. I like physical comedy, but I like wit. I like scripts that have a wit to the language and wit to the timing. So I'm not sure I would be funny in a silent movie, for example.
©2008 Justin Clark and Nerve Media
About the Author
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A recent graduate of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Justin Clark has written for L.A. Weekly, Psychology Today, Black Book, Architecture, Fuse, and The Fader, among other publications. He is currently researching a history of the American child prodigy, and writing a mystery novel set in Los Angeles. |
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