Martin Scorsese Praises 12-Year-Old Jodie Foster’s On-Set Authority in 'Taxi Driver'

Martin Scorsese says 12-year-old Jodie Foster had "authority" on 'Taxi Driver' set

New York, June 15

Scorsese, 83, joined Foster, 63, actor Robert De Niro and screenwriter Paul Schrader for a special 50th anniversary screening and panel discussion on 'Taxi Driver' at the Tribeca Festival.

Reflecting on his early collaborations with Foster, Scorsese said he first met her while working on his 1974 film 'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'.

"Jodie, it's like so funny, because when I first met you, you came in a little office I had and just came saying hello for 'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'," Scorsese recalled, according to People.

Praising Foster's professionalism as a child actor, he added, "She had more control on set and I kind of depended on her in a way. She had authority. I'm not kidding, an authority that was like, 'Yeah, I'm gonna go there, good, I'm there."

"It was really quite, quite, quite supportive, put it that way, because it was all hard to shoot," he said, according to People.

Foster, who earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for portraying the young prostitute Iris in the film, said she retained several vivid memories from the production despite already having appeared in numerous projects as a child actor.

"I remember there was a really funny moment seared in my memory where we went to the actual location and Marty was trying to explain to me how I was supposed to pull down his fly and then they couldn't stop giggling," Foster said.

"And then Bob's like, 'I'm gonna, I'm gonna take care of it. I'm gonna tell her.' And then he would try to tell me what to do and then he would start giggling. And then the two of them just couldn't stop laughing and they just couldn't give me a note because I think they were just so nervous that I was so young," she added.

Despite the challenging subject matter, Foster said the filming experience felt enjoyable and creatively fulfilling.

"It felt fun. It felt like a game and it felt important but also whimsical," she said, adding that she remembered Scorsese finding the film's blood effects amusing, according to People.

Foster also reflected on her admiration for Scorsese's work before joining the film.

"The truth is, I saw 'Mean Streets' and I was a kid, my mom went and took me to the movies. She took me to 'Mean Streets' and that was it. I just wanted to be a part of this," she said.

"So, anything that you would have offered me, I would have done that. And in fact, I think I tried to be an extra in 'New York, New York,' but it didn't work out because I was under 16 and they wouldn't let me work at night or something," Foster added, according to People.

The Oscar-winning actor also credited De Niro with helping shape her understanding of acting during the making of 'Taxi Driver'.

Recalling a script discussion with the actor, Foster said he introduced her to improvisation, a moment she described as transformative.

"It was like a light bulb went off in my head," she said.

"I remember getting all like happy and I came home, came up the elevator and came to the hotel and I knocked on the door and I said to my mom, 'Oh my God, I think I might want to be an actor. This is amazing,' " Foster recalled.

During the discussion, Foster was also asked what advice she would offer aspiring filmmakers. She said her career gave her a unique opportunity to learn directly from some of cinema's most celebrated directors.

"I was in a very special position" as a child actor who "got to look over the shoulder of all of these extraordinary filmmakers, extraordinary directors and say, 'Why did he do that?' 'Well, why did he say that?' 'Well, is that true or is that true?' And that really was my film school," she said.

"Not just the fabulous Mr. Scorsese, but, you know, Spike Lee and just a million other people where I was able to be curious about their point of view," Foster added.

Reflecting on the evolution of storytelling and artistic growth, Foster said the most valuable lesson she learned was the importance of understanding and serving the stories of others.

"When you're young, you make all of your art about 'This is me, this is me, this is how I feel, this is how I look,' but you're also taking things in about everyone else," she said.

"I think I've come to understand that the best education I had was about looking at other people's stories and saying, 'I wanna hear that story. It's not me. How can I serve them? How can I serve their stories that haven't been told?' It's sort of that combination of selfhood that comes from being curious about other people," Foster added, according to People.

— ANI