One of the most decorated actresses of her generation, Jodie Foster has done it all. She’s brought home several Academy Awards for her performances in films, as well as multiple BAFTAs and Golden Globe Awards. Foster’s upbringing includes an eclectic range of experiences: she attended a bilingual school in French, which allowed her to act in French movies later on in life and would attend Yale University for a degree in African-American Literature. But her entertainment career began when she was only three years old, as she appeared in a commercial for Coppertone sunscreen.
Although she first rose to prominence appearing in Disney’s content, Foster managed to pave a distinct path and name for herself in the industry. When Martin Scorsese cast her in his movie Taxi Driver, that completely changed the trajectory of her career although the role made her uncomfortable. She then appeared in Bugsy Malone, which then solidified her as an actress to watch in the future. Foster has enjoyed a prolific career since the 70s, but she has also continuously branched out with the kind of work she does. She has even directed and produced movies later in her career. These are the best of those movies.
10 The Baby Dance
Released in 1998, The Baby Dance was directed by Jane Anderson, but Foster was one of the producers who helped make the movie happen. The movie is about a poor woman named Wanda LeFauve. She lives in Louisiana in a trailer with her four children and a husband who currently is without a job.
When Wanda looks at the newspaper one day, she sees a couple from Los Angeles looking to adopt a child, specifically a newborn. Wanda is pregnant and sees this as one of her only options, as another child will make the family’s situation even worse. Together with the couple, they go through the ups and downs that come with the process of giving away a child.
9 Mesmerized
Although Foster was still quite new in her career at this stage, she was a co-producer in the movie Mesmerized. Directed by Michael Laughlin, Foster also stars in the lead role of Victoria Thompson. She is an orphaned New Zealander who, after turning 18, ends up marrying a man much older than her for money.
Their relationship is initially complicated, and the two end up playing games with each other, but throughout the movie, things begin to escalate even more. She is playing a game where she hypnotizes him and feeds him poison, which could end up with disastrous results if she doesn’t end up being careful about where this goes.
8 Waking the Dead
Based on a Scott Spencer novel of the same name, Waking the Dead has Foster’s name among its executive producers. Released in 2000, the film stars Billy Crudup and Jennifer Connelly as two people who become involved with each other over 10 years. They meet in the 70s, and the boy has political ideals that he wants to carry out. The girl is deeply religious as a Roman Catholic, and dreams of helping out the poor. The film chronologically switches between periods, as the film opens with the girl, Sarah, dying in a car bombing and the boy never recovering from that news.
7 Home for the Holidays
Foster directed the 1995 movie Home for the Holidays, which starred Holly Hunter, Robert Downey Jr., and so many more in an ensemble cast. The film’s reception was not the greatest, and it barely broke even at the box office.
The film begins with Claudia Larson preparing to fly home to her family in Baltimore for Thanksgiving, and she has just been let go of her job. A single mother, Claudia must not only deal with her problems back in Chicago but also the collective problems of her family. Messy but realistic, Home for the Holidays has become a cult classic over the years.
6 Little Man Tate
Little Man Tate came out in 1991, and it was Foster’s directorial debut. In a screenplay written by Scott Frank, Little Man Tate is about Dede Tate, a woman raising her seven-year-old and trying to survive their circumstances. Her son, Fred, is showing up on tests to be a genius, but because of that, he has been unable to connect with people his age. When a psychologist running a school for the gifted becomes aware of Fred’s situation, she asks if Fred would attend the school. Reluctantly, Dede ultimately allows him the chance to go there, and it will completely change his life for the better.
5 Nell
Foster starred in Nell, but she also was a producer in the film. Directed by Michael Apted, the movie was a massive success when it first came out, as the acting was superb, and at the box office, the film managed to reach over one hundred million dollars.
After a woman in an isolated North Carolina cabin is found dead, the local doctor discovers a woman living in the house with her. She doesn’t speak English but seems to have invented her language. As it turns out, this is the woman’s daughter. As the doctor tries to help her, they uncover the truth behind this girl and her language, as well as the trauma that was caused due to the nature of her birth–her mother was raped and became pregnant because of it.
4 The Beaver
Starring Foster, Mel Gibson, Anton Yelchin, and Jennifer Lawrence, The Beaver came out in 2011 after having its premiere at the SXSW Film Festival. Mel Gibson is Walter Black, a man who owns a company that’s about to go bankrupt. He’s depressed, and his wife decides to kick him out of their home, prompting his mental health issues to get worse and go unchecked.
After trying to commit suicide, he ends up creating an alter ego with a hand puppet he discovered in a trash can and decides to present himself to the world through this alter ego. He speaks through the puppet, which is a beaver, and this ends up helping him work through his issues, especially with his family members.
3 The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
A comedy-drama that came out in the 2000s, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys includes Foster’s name among its producers. During the 70s, in Savannah, Georgia, Francis Doyle attends a private Catholic school with his best friends despite not wanting to go there. They decide to create a comic book together to vent and let out their feelings, but when a girl becomes a part of the group, it shakes their foundations to the core. Francis is continuously hanging out with her, and when their relationship progresses, he begins to neglect the other boys he once deemed his best friend.
Although it’s not one of the best films when it comes to cinema, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys has a lot of heart to it, especially considering it’s based on the Chris Fuhrman novel about his life.
2 Money Monster
Foster directed the 2016 movie Money Monster, which starred George Clooney and Julia Roberts. The film originally debuted at the Cannes Film Festival. Clooney portrays a television financial expert who runs a show called Money Monster, and right before this show’s broadcast, a major crash happened on the market. The CEO of the company involved was supposed to attend but canceled, and in the middle of the show, a gunman appears. His motive? He took advice from the show and lost his life savings, and now he wants revenge. The situation seems dire as he puts an explosive vest on the financial expert, and the police realize that one of the only options may be to shoot him before it’s too late for everyone.
1 The Brave One
Foster not only starred in The Brave One, but she was one of the movie’s executive producers as well. She is Erica, who is walking with her fiancé in Central Park one day when they are attacked by three men. Her fiancé dies because of it, and the men steal her ring and dog. Erica is left traumatized and ends up buying a gun on the black market due to her fear of such a thing happening again.
One would assume she would be fine at this point, but while at a bodega, a man shoots the cashier to death and Erica is forced to decide with her new gun. No longer is she fearful at this point — she’s willing to hunt down those who cause crime in the city.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
