Jodie Foster has opened up about her experience with harassment in Hollywood.
The 63-year-old “Taxi Driver” actress told NPR in a recent interview that she experienced misogyny at work, but believes her Oscar nomination for the role “saved” her from more dangerous abuse.
“I had to really look into it. How did I get saved? Of course there were microaggressions. Anyone in the workplace has experienced misogynistic microaggressions. That’s just part of being a woman, right? But what kept me from that bad experience, that awful experience?” she said on the show “Fresh Air.”
“What I came to believe was that by the time I was about 12 years old, I had some power. So by the time I got my first Oscar nomination, I was in a different category of power, too dangerous to touch,” Foster continued. Foster was nominated for an Academy Award in 1976 for his role in Taxi Driver. Although she lost out to Beatrice Straight in the Best Supporting Actress category, she was still nominated as a 12-year-old.
“I could have ruined people’s careers, I could have called them ‘uncle,’ and I wouldn’t have been blocked,” Foster said, adding that his ability to hide his emotions may have also warded off his nemesis.
“It’s very difficult to manipulate me emotionally because I don’t act on my emotions. Predators will use whatever they can to manipulate people and get them to do what they want,” she said. “And it’s much easier when the person is young, weak, without strength.”
Foster, who has been a mainstay in Hollywood for decades, spoke out during the turning point of the #MeToo movement, which gained momentum in 2017. Continued efforts to call for social change have led women to speak out beyond the workplace, particularly in Hollywood, about their experiences of sexual abuse, harassment, and coercion.
