Acclaimed actress Jodie Foster has revealed she believes her precocious professional success in Hollywood acted as a shield, protecting her from the sexual abuse that has plagued many other child actors.
Power Made Her 'Too Dangerous to Touch'
In a candid new interview, the 63-year-old double Oscar winner reflected on her career, questioning why she was spared the 'terrible experiences' endured by peers. Speaking to NPR's Fresh Air, Foster stated she had to examine 'how did I get saved?' While acknowledging common workplace microaggressions, she pinpointed a critical difference: an unusually early accumulation of authority.
'I had a certain amount of power by the time I was, like, 12,' Foster explained. 'So by the time I had my first Oscar nomination, I was part of a different category of people that had power and I was too dangerous to touch. I could've ruined people's careers... so I wasn't on the block.'
A Career Forged in Childhood
Foster's career began exceptionally young. She debuted in a sunscreen TV advert aged just three in 1965. Her feature film debut came at six in 'Napoleon and Samantha'. However, her true breakout arrived at age 12, when she was cast as a child prostitute in Martin Scorsese's 'Taxi Driver' (1976). This role earned her first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
She later won her first Oscar for Best Actress for 1988's 'The Accused' and a second for her iconic role as Clarice Starling in 1991's 'The Silence of the Lambs'. Her accolades continue, with a recent Oscar nomination for 2023's 'Nyad' and an Emmy for HBO's 'True Detective: Night Country'.
Predatory Behaviour Rooted in Power Imbalance
Foster framed the issue of abuse in Hollywood not as a matter of individual predators, but of systemic power dynamics. 'Predators use whatever they can in order to manipulate and get people to do what they want them to do,' she said. 'That's much easier when the person is younger, when the person is weaker, when a person has no power.'
She added that her own 'head-first' personality, which makes her emotionally difficult to manipulate, may have been a secondary protective factor. Foster also noted that child acting can forge resilience, providing 'real advantages in life' for those who survive intact.
Her experiences have fostered a protective instinct towards today's young performers. At the Marrakech Film Festival last December, Foster expressed concern, asking 'where are their parents?' and why no one advises them to slow down. 'I want to take care of them because I know how dangerous it is,' she stated, having previously called acting a 'cruel job' she would not have chosen.
