Jodie Foster says that getting an Oscar nomination for Taxi Driver when she was 12 years old protected her from sexual predators in Hollywood. In a recent interview with NPR Fresh Air, the two-time Oscar winner talked about how her early fame and power made her “too risky” for abusers to go after. Her story shows how child actors are vulnerable to microaggressions in the industry.
Foster started acting in movies when she was three years old. By the time she was twelve, she was very famous for her role as Iris in Martin Scorsese’s 1976 movie Taxi Driver. The nomination for Best Supporting Actress made her more important, putting her in the company of powerful people in the industry that predators stayed away from. She said that this power dynamic kept her from having the “horrific encounters” that many of her peers had.
Foster said she is a “head-first person” who separates her feelings into different parts, which makes it hard for predators to control her. Her acting career made her stronger, which helped her keep her emotions in check on set and show that she was tough. This independence, along with her fame, kept her safe during her most vulnerable years.
After Taxi Driver, Foster won Oscars for The Accused (1988) and Silence of the Lambs (1991), which cemented her status. Her thoughts come at a time when Hollywood is still talking about how to keep kids safe, thanks to movements like #MeToo. The interview shows how having a lot of prestige can protect you in dangerous situations.
