Jodie Foster reveals at Cannes why fear kept her from acting in more French films despite her fluency and passion.
At the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, Jodie Foster made a triumphant return to French cinema with her starring role in Vie Privée (A Private Life), directed by Rebecca Zlotowski. Despite her fluency in French and deep connection to France, Foster revealed that fear had previously held her back from taking on more French-speaking roles.
In Vie Privée, Foster portrays Lilian Steiner, an American psychoanalyst in Paris who becomes entangled in the mysterious death of a patient. The film, a whimsical psychological mystery, showcases Foster’s ability to navigate complex narratives in elegant French, marking her first French-speaking leading role in over two decades .
Despite this, Foster admitted that she had been “too scared” to pursue more roles in French cinema. “Over the years I’ve done a lot of personal shows, but somehow this one is the most personal because it’s not in my past. It’s my life right now. So there’s really no filter,” she shared, highlighting the vulnerability she felt in taking on such roles .
Read More: Kaulitz & Kaulitz Season 2 Trailer & Release Date Revealed | Netflix Official
Read More: Platonic Season 2: Release Date, Cast & When It Premieres