Terry Gross

I think Paul Schrader doesn't ever get quite enough credit for writing this.

I mean, people who really know movies think he's made terrific movies, but Scorsese did a brilliant job directing it, but Paul Schrader did a brilliant job writing it.

You know, God's Lonely Man and all of Travis's monologues.

Did you get to talk to Schrader about the screenplay?

That's funny because it's like you can play a prostitute who's 12 years old in the movie, but don't talk to the person who wrote this.

How did your mother feel about playing a 12-year-old sex worker?

And how did you feel about it?

How much did you understand what that meant?

And also the film has some pretty explicit violence.

This was before you were 12?

Did adults in the ladies' room ever look at you and say,

What are you doing here?

But you've also said that it was hard for you to express emotion unless you were acting.

You've said De Niro stayed in character during the whole shoot and before it, too.

So what he would do is take you to a diner and not necessarily say anything.

Was that fun for you doing those improvs?

We have to take another short break here.

If you're just joining us, my guest is Jodie Foster and her new film, which is in French, is called A Private Life.

It opens January 16th in select theaters and on the 30th more widely.

We'll be right back.