Jodie Foster names the most inspiring directors she’s worked with: “Those two couldn’t be more opposite”
After diving head-first into the industry when she was only twelve years old, Jodie Foster was thrust into a world of fame and controversy after playing a ‘child prostitute’ in Martin Scorsese’s breakthrough film Taxi Driver. After this, the young actor was quickly exposed to the highs and lows of working in Hollywood, with an insidious stalker who later attempted to assassinate the president of the United States and a sudden introduction to stardom.
Following her studies at Yale University, Foster returned to acting with her Academy Award-winning performances in The Silence of the Lambs and The Accused. She has since worked with some of the greatest working directors today, such as Jonathan Demme, David Fincher, Spike Lee and Robert Zemeckis. However, throughout her glittering on-scree career, Foster has named two directors that she has been most inspired by.
The Brave One was directed by Neil Jordan in 2007, following a woman who struggles to recover from an attack and seeks revenge on her assailant. Jordan is typically drawn to character studies and an exploration of unconventional ideas, perhaps most recognised in his earlier films Interview with a Vampire and Breakfast on Pluto. When Foster was asked about her work with the director, she listed him as one of the most inspiring directors she’s worked with, saying, “Neil Jordan [The Brave One], who’s more of a poet and has a stream-of-consciousness approach. Even though he’s prepared, he is always open to chance and to change and to the unconscious mind”.
The poetic approach that she mentions is very interesting, with the ideas in his work feeling fluid and fleshed out to their fullest, perhaps as a result of his collaborative and less rigid approach to filmmaking.
As well as her work with Jordan, Foster also highlighted one other director she is most inspired by, mentioning her 2002 film The Panic Room, directed by David Fincher. It’s a dark and sinister thriller about a mother trapped in a safe room with her young daughter after three intruders break into their home. It was one of Kristen Stewarts first major film roles, who was just ten years old when she accepted the role. It weirdly mirrors Foster’s own experiences in the industry, working with a young actor who is close to the age she was when she starred in Taxi Driver.
When asked about working with Fincher, she said, “David Fincher [Panic Room], being very intentional and controlling and has an absolute idea about every single detail. Those two [Fincher and Jordan] couldn’t be more opposite, and yet they’re the most inspiring directors I’ve worked with.”
Fincher is known for his meticulous approach to directing, which is very different to the style she describes from Jordan. However, while both are polar opposites, they clearly impacted Foster in different ways, showing that there is no one set approach to filmmaking and that each personal style is tailored to the voice of the project. While a character study may require more freedom on behalf of the actor, a psychological thriller like Panic Room may need a degree of restraint within the production process to add to the suspense and tension of the overall mood.
