Jodie Foster: Wes Anderson's Dream Collaboration Denied
For years, Wes Anderson has dreamed of working with Jodie Foster, but the actress has reportedly turned down roles in multiple of his films. Anderson revealed his long-standing desire to collaborate with the Oscar-winning star, making her the one actor who has eluded him.
Anderson shared with Collider that he was inspired to work with Jodie Foster after seeing her directorial debut. He expressed his admiration for her talent and said that he had approached her for parts in numerous movies over the years.
“Over the years, I had so many movies that I tried to get Jodie Foster to be in,” Anderson stated. “It used to be every movie, we went to Jodie Foster for a part. And I think I did it three movies in a row, maybe four. And I met her, and I liked her. And I thought it was going to get her. And I think she’s just great, Jodie Foster. And I loved her.”
He continued, “In the first movie she directed, ‘Little Man Tate,’ she plays the mother. Do you remember that movie? And she has this real sparkle. She has a lightness in it. It’s just a different kind of character. But anyway, I still would like to get Jodie Foster. But I guess after asking few times, I thought maybe I’m not… I think sometimes somebody has an idea of the kind of work they want to do at that time in his or her life, and we weren’t right.”
Wes Anderson's Reluctance to Reveal Specific Roles
Anderson remained tight-lipped about which specific films he had contacted Jodie Foster about. He explained that he didn't want to reveal those details, as it might imply that the actors who ultimately took those roles were not his first choices.
“Well, I don’t like to say, because if I say, then you say, ‘Oh, you mean so-and-so, who’s in the movie, wasn’t your first choice.’ And so I don’t want that to be a thing,” he said. “But anyway, she’s pretty amazing, Jodie Foster.”
Jodie Foster has recently praised her late "Silence of the Lambs" director, Jonathan Demme, for being one of the "feminist" filmmakers she has collaborated with in her career.
Anderson isn't the only director keen to work with Jodie Foster. The actress also declined a cameo appearance in "Freakier Friday," directed by Nisha Ganatra. Jodie Foster starred in the original "Freaky Friday" film, which was later remade with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan in 2003.
Jodie Foster's Directing Aspirations
Jodie Foster revealed that she is eager to return to directing soon, provided she can secure funding for her projects. She told Variety that she prefers directing to acting, but it is challenging to get projects off the ground.
"I do prefer directing [to acting]," she said, "but it’s hard to get things off the ground. I have to work on the material for so long in order to make it mine. I love the movies that I made, and they speak to my life. And for me, they feel like auteur films. If I can’t do it that way, I don’t really want to do it.”
Will Wes Anderson and Jodie Foster ever collaborate? Only time will tell, but Anderson's admiration for Foster's talent suggests he won't give up on his dream of working with her anytime soon. Her on directing may present a challenge, but the possibility remains open for a future collaboration.