Attribution: Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
By Geoff Carter
Jodie Foster has been an actor nearly her entire life–over fifty years. We’ve literally watched her grow up on the screen. From a youngster in a Coppertone commercial to a precocious Disney child star in Napolean and Samantha, Candleshoe, and the original Freaky Friday, she graduated to more provocative roles like Iris, the teen prostitute in Taxi Driver and Rynn, the homicidal girl in The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane and whose talents have also taken her behind the camera as director.
Apparently unconcerned about the effect it might have on her career, Foster took some time off from her career as a child star to earn a degree at Yale. Despite critically acclaimed turn in The Hotel New Hampshire and a series of independent films, it was her brilliant performance as a rape victim in The Accused that brought her recognition as a mature artist able to render complex and layered characters on the screen.
In the next decade, she appeared in her seminal role in the masterpiece Silence of the Lambs as FBI trainee Clarice Starling. She also appeared as a feral woman raised outside civilization in Nell, a scientist searching for intelligent alien life in Contact, and a Confederate widow in Sommersby. The one constant in all of Foster’s role is her unique blend of intelligence, vulnerability, and toughness.
Even in Little Man Tate (which she also directed), where Foster plays Dede, a mother to a child prodigy who is not well-educated or urbane, she still exudes an aura of sensitivity and shrewdness. This persona shines through in varying degrees with each of her characters. Even the mute titular character in Nell crackles with an intellectual curiosity that is Foster’s trademark, and Sarah Tobias, the rape victim from The Accused, show a determination and toughness and a raw and fierce intelligence that is as tough as nails.
While continuing her work as a director, Foster has still maintained a stellar screen presence. Her appearance in the HBO limited series True Detective: Night Country as a brittle and damaged police detective haunted by the past, is exceptional. Her work in The Mauritanian was nothing short of brilliant.
While she might appear as a hooker or a single mom or a down-and-out waitress or a child of the forest, Jodie Foster always displays an intellectual intensity and a strong-willed determination to work her will.
Jodie Foster has been one of the few actors to navigate the journey from child actor to a generational talent. She has been a constant—a benchmark of quality—in American cinema for decades. She is just that good.
The Ten Best Films of Jodie Foster
The Accused: In this harrowing film, Foster plays Sarah Tobia, a young waitress who is brutally gang-raped in a bar in front of a crowd of cheering onlookers. She brings charges but the rapists are given light sentences. After being stalked and harassed by one of those who witnessed the rape, she hires Katheryn Murphy (Kelly McGillis) who decides to prosecute the onlookers who did nothing to prevent the rape. At the time of its release, the film was praised for its graphic depiction of sexual violence and Foster was praised roundly for her performance as the gritty and gutsy waitress who was determined to bring her assailants to justice.
Taxi Driver: In this Scorsese classic featuring Robert DeNiro as the crazed anti-social taxi driver Travis Bickel, the twelve-year-old Foster (the former Disney child star) plays Iris, a prostitute held under the thumb of “Sport” (Harvey Keitel). Appalled and sickened at his perception of the depravity of New York City, Bickel focuses on rescuing Iris as a path to self-redemption. While at times struggling with the violence and brutality of the film’s plot, Foster was able to deliver a performance that was able to communicate Iris’ innocence beyond her hardened exterior.
Silence of the Lambs: In this renowned horror classic, Foster plays the stalwart and determined Clarice Starling, an FBI trainee who is assigned to interview psychologist and serial killer Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) for insights into the mind of Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine), another serial still on the loose. She and Lecter form a relationship based on common need, ambition, and finally respect. Foster’s performance as a young woman striving to compete in the macho world of law enforcement while emulating her dead father’s work as a lawman is a portrait in self-determination. She shows—especially under Lecter’s relentless probing of her psyche—a vulnerability and earnestness which is evenly balanced against her hard-nosed investigation persona.
Little Man Tate: Dede Tate (Foster) is a young single mother who discovers her son Fred (Adam Hann-Byrd) is a genius. His math, musical, and reasoning skills are far beyond those of a normal seven-year-old. Fred has a hard time fitting in because of his gifts and has few friends, but he is devoted to his mom. When Jane Grierson (Diane Wiest) asks Dede to enroll Fred in a special school for gifted children, she reluctantly agrees. Jane, however, is as clueless as Fred when it comes to social skills and has absolutely no idea how to nurture him as a child. Fred does make friends with college student Eddie (Harry Connick, Jr.) but still cannot fit in. Fed up, Fred finally runs back home where he, Dede, and Jane find a solution allowing Fred to enjoy the best of all worlds. Because she was herself a child prodigy, Foster lobbied heavily to be able to direct the film, offering to act in it for free. Her performance is all the more remarkable because of her insights into Fred’s—and her own parents’—difficulties in raising a prodigy.
Contact: In this science-fiction thriller, Foster plays Dr. Arroway, a scientist who is trying to trace intelligent extraterrestrial life. Battling government cuts and facing shutdown, the program is saved by millionaire S.R. Hadden (John Hurt). When the station receives radio transmissions of a plan to build a transporter to the source of the transmissions, Dr. Arroway—after episodes of sabotage and subterfuge—makes the trip. Foster’s performance sparkles. Arroway is dedicated, even obsessed with her quest not for fame or glamour, but for sheer knowledge. Foster is able to convey that sheer professionalism with a grace and sensibility that would excite the heart of any explorer.
Inside Man: In this engaging Spike Lee caper flick, Foster plays Madeleine White, a cool and self-assured fixer and power broker who intercedes for Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer), whose bank is being robbed by a group of thieves who have citizens hostage. To protect the secret locked in the bank that Case is so desperate to keep, White negotiates with Detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington), who cannot quite figure out the robbers’ angle. As White, Foster is sublimely cocky and wickedly clever. Her confidence—arrogance—from dealing with the ultra-rich and powerful is not enough to blind her to the truth her client is trying to hide.
The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane: In the first major departure from her squeaky-clean Disney child star image, Foster stars as Rynn Jacobs, a thirteen-year-old girl who seems to be living by herself in an old house. When pressed by neighbors, she says her father, a poet, is away on business. When the landlady’s son Frank (Martin Sheen) comes to visit and makes unwelcome sexual advances. The next day the landlady comes and grills Rynn and forces herself into the basement where she is accidentally killed. Mario (Scott Jacoby) helps her hide the body and later, to get rid of the pesky Frank and fool the local police into thinking her dad is there. Rynn’s family secret is finally revealed to the audience. She is neither nor villain but the epitome of survival. The film stirred controversy because of a nude scene (which was shot with a body double) but Foster’s venture into adult themes and deep psychological horror was exceptionally well-rendered.
The Hotel New Hampshire: In this adaptation of John Irving’s bestselling novel, Foster plays Franny Berry, the outspoken and strong-willed daughter of the Berry clan, who live in a decrepit hotel. The family, including the father Win (Beau Bridges), mother Mary (Lisa Banes) brother John (Rob Lowe), brother Frank (Paul McCrane), and sister Lily (Jennifer Dundas) are plagued by local bully Chip Dove (Matthew Modine), who rapes Franny one Halloween night. After the family moves to Vienna, run-ins with terrorists and bears bring the family saga to a satisfying—if weird—conclusion. As the dominating Franny, Foster’s strong-willed persona works well here, but not as well as in some of her other work, yet her inner vulnerabilities peek out when she meets the sadistic terrorist Ernst (Modine).
Nell: In this psychological drama, Nell (Foster), a young woman who seemingly cannot speak, is found living in an isolated cabin in the woods after her mother has passed away from a stroke. Nonverbal and completely from normal society, Nell is slowly introduced into society through the efforts of Dr. Jerry Lovell (Niam Lesson) and Dr. Paula Olsen (Natasha Richardson) who specialized in treating autistic children. The two realize that Nell’s gibberish is actually a language derived from her mother’s post-stroke aphasia. They slowly bring Nell into the world, coaxing her social skills and channeling her sexuality. In an otherwise weak film, Foster gives one of her most intense and brilliant performances as Nell, conceiving a new language and a new set of mannerisms originating in her isolation. She is entirely believable.
True Detective: In this HBO limited series, a group of scientists at a remote Alaskan research facility are found naked and frozen on the tundra. Chief Liz Danvers (Foster) is assigned to the case and reluctantly accepts Trooper Navarro (Kali Reis)—who is still investigating the death of a Native American woman, as her partner. Set in the eternal night of the polar winter, the series is imbued with supernatural occurrences: a ghostly one-eyed polar bear, a hidden ice cave, and more. As Danvers, Foster is blunt, caustic, and angry. She is also very aware of how she, as a woman, is perceived by the other cops. Foster’s Danvers shows a raw edge and a sharper tongue—the type of role we don’t usually she Foster in, but one she fills admirably.