Jodie Foster

You can say, I don't want to do this.

And I sort of begrudgingly was like, okay, I'll go take my makeup off.

I knew that it was more of a complicated threat than it was a choice.

So, yeah, I mean, it was work.

It was real work.

And I loved the part of that that got me respect, that gave me community, that made me part of a big family.

And then there were parts of it that I didn't like so much.

mom was very aware that that was unusual and that would put pressure on me.

So she kind of sold it differently.

You know, she would say, she would say, well, you know, you do one job, but then, you know, your sister does another job and we all participate.

We're all doing a job and we're all, this is all part of the family.

And, you know, I think that was her way of, A, making my brothers and sisters not feel like somehow they were beholden to me.

Or to my brother, who also was an actor.

And, you know, not having pressure on me, but also helping her ego a bit.

Because I think that was hard for her to feel that she was being taken care of by a child.

Yes, unusual.

And, you know, there's two things that can happen as a child actor.

One is you develop resilience and you come up with a plan and a way to survive intact.

And there are real advantages to that in life.

And I really feel grateful for the advantages that that's given me, the benefits that that's given me.