Jodie Foster Thinks Acting Is a ‘Really Dumb Thing To Do’

During a conversation with Jodie Comer for Interview magazine, Jodie Foster admitted she’s “not naturally an actor.”

“I just got stuck in it when I was three. I probably would’ve been a lawyer or a college professor. It’s just not my way. So I loved the technical sides of filmmaking, but I never fell in love with the acting part. It was against my nature, and I think has made me a richer person because of it.”

She said her stardom has meant she’s “always made movies by myself, where it was just about my character, and I didn’t have to deal with the other actors.” But this became isolating after a while, and as she’s “gotten older,” she feels differently.

“I’ve come to understand that was selfish of me, jealously guarding something that I didn’t want to share. Now I’m learning to enter in and say, ‘How are we together and dynamic?’ Instead of it all being about me. It has been so interesting, because now I meet all these actors that do everything differently.” Like Comer, perhaps?

Foster likes directing and says she tries to use a collaborative approach to directing actors without taking it too far.

“When I direct, I love to talk, so I talk to people about the techniques, but I don’t like to get inside an actor’s body, because I think that’s invasive. Tell me, ‘Faster, slower.’ Tell me, ‘I didn’t feel that part,’ but don’t talk about my childhood, and don’t try and be one with me,” she explained, adding, “It’s invasive and it makes me feel self-conscious, because acting is a really dumb thing to do. It’s already silly.” We stan an un-serious queen.

But whether she’s directing or acting, she believes everyone should do a lot of pre-production and rehearsal so they come to set prepared…that doesn’t always happen, though.

“I want them to not question themselves, so that you create something that’s cohesive and feels spontaneous, raw, and fresh,” she said of actors. “I tell directors that, but they don’t listen to me, so sometimes I’ll work on a movie where I have to do 120 takes, and I’m like, ‘Okay, alright, bye.’” If Jodie Foster is doing your job for you, what are you even doing?

And don’t worry, the two Jodies ended with the declaration that they’d be “Best friends forever.” Now I’d love to see a Jodie/Jodie production!