Jodie Foster is one of the most renowned actresses in Hollywood. Throughout her career, the actress has consistently showcased a standing ovation-worthy performance. Foster’s acting skills should not be questioned as she was nominated for an Academy Award just at the age of 13. Her most iconic performance would be of Detective Liz Danvers from the True Detective TV Series, and her performance is the main reason for drawing massive attention to the show.
One of the most intriguing facts about Jodie Foster is that she has maintained a formidable presence both on and off-screen. And as a kid, she worked with the renowned filmmaker, Martin Scorsese but the veteran director was scared of her, as her experience as a young kid surpassed his, and Foster enjoyed every bit of it.
Jodie Foster’s Presence Petrified Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro
Jodie Foster has had an illustrious acting since she was a child, the actress has teamed up with Martin Scorsese twice in her career. The first time was Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, and the other was Taxi Driver. However, even as a child actor Foster had done a plethora of films, that had helped her gain immense experience at a young age, which intimidated Scorsese and De Niro when they teamed up with young and experienced Foster.
During an exclusive interview with W Magazine, The Silence of The Lambs actress stated that Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro were “definitely scared” of her, as she had already “made a lot more films than [he] had at that point.”
“When I first worked with Martin Scorsese I was probably about 10, I think. I did Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, and that was Marty’s maybe his third movie. And then by the time I got to do Taxi Driver when I was 12, I had made a lot more films than they had at that point. They were definitely scared of me. They didn’t know what to do with me. I don’t know that I was the smart one in the room, but they definitely were intimidated somehow. Like ‘What do I do with this 12-year-old?'”
The fear was a result of Scorsese making only 3 films between 1972 and 1976, bringing his total films to only 5. However, Foster did four more projects during this period, which brought her total films to 35 by 1976. Nevertheless, Scorsese didn’t let this factor affect his storytelling skills, as Taxi Driver became one of the most gripping and evergreen films ever created, and it grossed $28.4 million at the worldwide box office.
Jodie Foster Made An Intriguing Appeal To Secure Her Role In The Silence of The Lambs
The 1991 film, The Silence of The Lambs has defined what fear is as the film has managed to send chills down the spine of its viewers. The film featured Anthony Hopkins in his most character of Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Jodie Foster as Clarice Sterling. Though she impressed the audience with her role, securing the role wasn’t easy.
During an exclusive interview at the Austin Film Festival, Jonathan Demme, the director of The Silence of The Lambs stated that Jodie Foster wasn’t on his radar until she came up to the director and made an intriguing appeal to him.
“There’s all these movies with men going in and saving a bunch of people, doing one thing or another. But this story [The Silence of the Lambs] is about one young woman trying desperately to save the life of another young woman. In order to do that, she’s faced with the overwhelming obstacle of all these men.”
The actress’ main argument was that the audience had grown tired of watching men save other people, but watching a woman save people from danger was something for that period, which would help the film to sell. Ultimately, the plea convinced Jonathan Demme to cast Foster for the role, and the rest we know is history.
Taxi Driver can be rented on Apple TV.
