CANNES — Jodie Foster revealed she had turned down several leading roles in French films before accepting the part in Vie Privée, admitting fear held her back despite being fluent in the language.
Speaking at a press conference for the film at the Cannes Film Festival, Foster shared that although she had taken supporting roles in French cinema before, she was hesitant to lead. “A number of directors offered me projects,” she said. “But I was too scared to act in French. I thought someone more comfortable with the language should do it. I don’t even remember exactly how I accepted this one.”
Foster, who attended a French-language school in Los Angeles, spoke almost entirely in French during the event. She said acting in a French-language lead role had been a long-time goal, though she found learning the dialogue “a huge challenge.”
“When I act in French, I become a different person,” she explained. “My voice is higher, I’m less confident, and I get frustrated because I can’t express myself as clearly. But that helps create a new kind of character.”
Vie Privée, directed by Rebecca Zlotowski, premiered Tuesday night at Cannes to a standing ovation lasting eight minutes. In the film, Foster plays a psychotherapist who suspects that her patient’s suicide may have been a murder. This marks her first film shot in France since A Very Long Engagement in 2004.
She stars alongside Daniel Auteuil, who plays her ex-husband, and Virginie Efira, who portrays the mysterious patient at the center of the story.
Looking ahead, Foster said she is interested in exploring more comedic roles. “The older I get, the more I want to be lighthearted,” she said. “I used to only want to be in films that were about me, but now I want to support stories about other people.”
She added with a smile, “It’s great fun to be the older woman who says, ‘Don’t worry, none of this is serious!’”
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