Jodie Foster
The Panic Room star talks parenting, Hollywood and role models.
Since her TV debut at three years old, Jodie Foster has steadily built a reputation as one of Hollywood's most powerful - and private - women. When reporters clamour for details about her personal life, the two-time Oscar winner gently, but very firmly, declines to reply.
When our sister site Women.com sat down to talk with Foster, they didn't press for information about the exact parentage of her son, Charles. But when the topic turned to her tot, this single mother's eyes lit up. She happily discussed the challenges and joys of raising a child, and even broke into song when describing her son's favourite tunes.
Foster also spoke in depth about her professional life, from how she chooses projects to who she sees as role models. Read on for more…
How has your professional life changed since becoming a mum?
JF: I've always been picky, but now I'm even pickier because he is my priority and my focus, and I want to spend as much time with him. So unless I feel really passionate and really strongly about a project, I just...I don't want to get in the car to go.
Now that you're a mum, how do you balance everything?
JF: Well, I think the adage is true. You can have everything, but you just can't do everything well. And I think the first thing to suffer is your work. I think you just have to embrace that chaos and know that the creative quality to your work is probably higher because you have a child. But the amount of hours, the focus, just can't possibly be there. So you learn to be efficient with your time.
What's the most surprising thing you've learned about yourself since becoming a mum?
JF: I guess I thought I was one of these people that has very serious dos and don'ts about how people are supposed to act and rules about children and their behaviour. And now I realise that he can just work me. I just fall for him.
Are you thinking of putting him on camera? Do you make home videos?
JF: I do some home videos, but I have no desire to put him on camera in any other way.
As a child actor turned director and producer, you've grown up in the industry. How do you think it'll be different for your son?
JF: It's going to be a really weird thing to grow up having a famous parent. I just don't know what you can do about that except try to explain it to him when he comes home crying. I think it is much harder to be the child of a famous actor than to be a child actor, and so I hope that I have all the sensitivity and patience to deal with that.
How has it changed your day-to-day life?
JF: It changes how you schedule your time and it changes your focus. I mean, I don't know if it's a hormonal problem, but if I'm on the telephone and he's in the room, I don't remember a word anyone said.
Do you feel that you face any barriers in Hollywood today?
JF: Our barriers are much more subtle, psychological barriers now. They're all of the wounds that we carry from our young days into the workplace, and we spend our lives trying to make sense of them. In terms of Hollywood, there are fewer roles, wonderful roles, for women. But in my case, I'm lucky enough to find one every two years, and that's all I need in order to be able to feel passionate about something.
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