Happy Birthday & Happy Freaky Friday to Jodie Foster

 

Given certain circumstances, I thought I'd forgo the usual name for the weekly post, and just wish a grand, Happy Birthday to one of the finest actresses of our age, Jodie Foster.

To simply address her as an, Academy Award Winner, even adding the word "multiple" doesn't seem to do justice to her spectacular, and often overlooked career.

One of the best things about Foster is her life of steering clear of most scandals and bad press, but the one she had is more than enough for a lifetime, and we'll skip discussion of it on this one.   

Foster's career started almost by accident, as her mom had totted her along to an audition for her older brother, in a Coppertone commercial in 1965, and the casting agents took a shine to her.  She and her brother would go on to do many commercial roles up until 1969, that year she had a reccurring role on, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, starring Bill Bixby.

It was in the 1970's that her life would change forever as she was cast in two films by famed director, Martin Scorcese, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, and then, as a child prostitute in, Taxi Driver.  For this role Foster had to undergo psychiatric assessment and was always accompanied on set by a social worker.  Her older sister would "stand in" for her during the more sexual scenes.

It was during this film that she was allowed to develop her own character and realized that acting was an artistic craft rather than just acting like a kid in front of the camera, for it, she was nominated for an Academy Award.

Later she would return to Disney for another memorable role, Freaky Friday, where her teen character switched bodies with her mother, it was a box office smash and would later be remade.  She would also make the Disney film, Candleshoe, starring opposite, David Niven.

In 1980 she began as a full time student at Yale University, she put college first and would only make films during her summer breaks.

It was in college that she really began to take her career as an actress more seriously and stopped looking at it as an "unintelligent profession", she wanted to take the next steps in more serious films.

In 1988 she had her "breakthrough" role as a rape survivor in the film, The Accused, based on a real case, and tackled the real world problem of "victim blaming" in cases like it.  Due to the films content, the production was trying on both cast and crew, especially when they filmed the rape scene, Foster was not happy with her performance in the film, and thought it would end her career, instead it was a major success and Foster received an Oscar and Golden Globe for her performance. 

In 1991 she would take on her most famous role, FBI trainee, Clarice Starling in, Silence of the Lambs, opposite Anthony Hopkins as the bone-chilling, Hannibal Lecter.  Both characters are considered two of the best cinematic hero's and villains of all time, like her previous film Taxi Driver, Silence of the Lambs is one of the films preserved in the, National Film Registry.

In 1994 she would replace Meg Ryan in the western-comedy remake of a classic television show, Maverick, costarring with Mel Gibson, and televisions original Maverick, James Garner.  This is my personal favorite of her career, because she and her fellow cast seemed to genuinely have fun making the film.

Foster has started her own production company and gone on to star in many more films and even take charge behind the camera, directing films and episodes of hit television shows like, Orange is the New Black.

One of the things that I've kept from discussing but been sharing in pictures is that Foster is one of Hollywood's most underrated beauties, and even though not always showing it in film, has always kept herself in great shape, she really is one of Hollywood's most naturally sexy women as well, but has only used her looks when a part specifically calls for it.  Foster is one of the great Class Acts of Hollywood.

It is with great respect and deep admiration that I wish to once again say, Happy Birthday Jodie Foster. 💘