The one movie genre Jodie Foster knows she’ll never be cast in: “There are no offers”
For some actors, it seems like certain genres are simply out of the question. While some stars aren’t afraid to take on any genre that comes their way, whether that be a gritty thriller or a cheesy comedy, others prefer to stick to the specific kinds of movies that they know best.
I mean, can you imagine someone like Vin Diesel becoming a rom-com star, or Jason Statham doing anything that isn’t your typical action flick? It doesn’t necessarily mean that an actor isn’t talented enough if they tend to steer away from certain genres, though; perhaps they just don’t get the opportunities presented to them, and that has been the case for Jodie Foster, who, despite her long-running success in the industry, which goes back to her childhood, has struggled to find movie offers within a certain genre.
First appearing on the screen when she was just three years old in an advertisement, the actor then became a child star, eventually securing a contract with Disney that would make her one of their biggest names, and yet, it was roles in more adult-oriented films like Taxi Driver, where she played a child prostitute when she was just 12, demonstrated her ability to appear in more serious parts. Foster might have been used to comedy and lighthearted movie roles as a Disney star, but soon she was showcasing a versatility that would come to cement her as one of her generation’s finest performers.
Since then, she has dabbled in everything from thrillers and horror movies, like her Oscar-winning performance in The Silence of the Lambs, while dramas, comedies, sci-fi, and adventure movies have also rounded out her filmography. But where’s the romance?
Foster has hardly appeared in any romance-oriented films during her career, and certainly not any rom-coms, although she would actually love the chance to star in one. “I love thrillers. But I’d also like to play in a romantic comedy, but there are no offers,” she told Morgenpost.
The actor is realistic, though; she knows that people probably don’t think of her when they think of romantic comedy leads. “To be quite honest, I don’t think I come across as the particularly romantic type,” she added.
Considering that Foster has dabbled in filmmaking over the years, having made her directorial debut in 1991 with Little Man Tate, there’s no reason that she couldn’t pitch a rom-com starring herself as her next project. What’s more, Foster, who is openly gay, has the perfect chance to craft a sapphic rom-com, something that the romantic comedy genre is seriously lacking in.
For now, though, she seems rather preoccupied with other new endeavours, like taking on her first French-speaking role for the thriller Vie privée. But who knows what Foster will do next? Perhaps she could blend her love of thrillers with the romantic-comedy genre?
It must be frustrating as an actor to be associated with specific genres to the point of missing out on opportunities that you’d really love to take a crack at. Clearly, securing a role is a complicated game, even when you’re a two-time Oscar winner like Foster.
