Academy Award-winning actress Jodie Foster has delivered a stark warning about the perils of child stardom, describing acting as a "cruel job" that was chosen for her and one she would never have pursued willingly.
A Career Forged in Childhood
Speaking at the Marrakech International Film Festival in Morocco on Sunday, Foster reflected on her extraordinary early start in the industry. Her first professional booking was at just three years old, for a Coppertone sunscreen commercial. She had not intended to audition but charmed casting directors while accompanying her older brother.
This launched a prolific childhood career. She began sitcom work in 1968 and made her first film at age six. Notable early roles included Tom Sawyer in 1973 and, most famously, her portrayal of a child prostitute in Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver at age 12.
A Stark Warning to Modern Young Actors
Foster expressed deep concern for today's generation of child performers. "I feel like, wait, where are their parents?" she asked. "And why is nobody telling them that they should stop doing so many movies or maybe not be so drunk on the red carpet?"
"I want to take care of them because I know how dangerous it is," she stated emphatically, drawing from her own experiences. She argued that excellence in acting comes at a high personal cost, contending with being "robbed of their life in a way."
Contrasting Views and a French-Language Return
Her current scepticism marks a shift from her 1987 comments to Interview magazine, where she said she loved acting as a child and valued her early commercial work. In Marrakech, she suggested her ambivalence might have fuelled her success. "It makes my work a little bit different, because I am not interested in acting just for the sake of acting," she explained.
Foster also discussed her latest project, the French-language comedy thriller A Private Life by director Rebecca Zlotowski. Having attended a French school from age three, she felt at ease. "It’s a part of my personality that I just never get to use, and half my culture," she said.
Furthermore, she addressed working with four consecutive female directors, a change after a career largely directed by men. She criticised the industry's catch-22 regarding budgets for women filmmakers: "The idea was not to give women these huge mega movies if they had not had any experience. How about giving women the experience first?"
Ultimately, Foster painted a complex picture of a profession that shaped her life from infancy, one of immense artistic reward but profound personal sacrifice, urging greater protection for those who follow in her footsteps.
