Oscar 2024 Nominee Jodie Foster Says She Didn't Make A Career 'Out Of Playing Mother Or Girlfriend'

Hollywood icon Jodie Foster recently got nominated in the Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars 2024. She is known for her diverse roles from a rookie FBI agent in Silence of the Lambs to the police chief in the latest chapter of True Detective. The actress recently shared insights into her fascinating career. Driven by a passion for portraying women with agency, Jodie embarked on her acting journey as a child artist and gained recognition in the 70s with roles in films like Taxi Driver and Bugsy Malone.

Jodie Foster reflecting on her character evolution in showbiz

It was her Oscar-winning portrayal of a rape survivor in The Accused" (1988) that solidified Jodie’s stardom. In a recent group interview with PTI, Foster discussed her evolving roles and highlighted the contrast between her iconic character Clarice Starling and her current role as Alaskan police chief Liz Danvers in True Detective: Night Country.

Clarice said that the disciplined FBI trainee in pursuit of a serial killer differs significantly from Danvers who is a character within a male-dominated culture. 

The 61-year-old actor addressed her inclination towards human characters who navigate complexities, make mistakes, and undergo significant growth. Foster expressed her commitment to portraying women with agency and complicating narratives beyond the traditional roles of mothers or girlfriends.

In her words, "I've always played more human characters, the person that stuff happens to, the person that takes action. I didn't really make a career of playing the mother of, sister of, girlfriend of and this is just another extension of that. These are women that are taking agency, have power, are complicated and (are) messed up and are not on one path. They grow throughout the show. That arc of change is always very important to me.”

In True Detective: Night Country, the fourth season of the HBO anthology series, Foster's character alongside Kali Reis as Evangeline Navarro goes on to solve the disappearance of eight men from the Tsalal Arctic Research Station.