Jodie Foster Not Driven to Act

Friday, September 23, 2005

Foster in flight

reveals that she "doesn't have the burning desire to act" in a new interview. She goes on to explain that, if not for her mother, she probably never would have chosen to be an actress at all.

While we all would have missed out on her memorable performances, I think this really illustrates the problem with parents pushing their children into show business careers. We've seen it over and over again: child stars gone bad (not, of course, that Jodie ever did) or burnt out on life before they ever reach the point in life where other kids their age are just starting life. I blame the parents for this phenomenon completely: there is no excuse to go overboard and shuttle children from audition to audition - denying them the childhood that we all need to grow into healthy adults.

Who knows what Jodie would have chosen to do if not for the machinations of her mother. She says, "If I could do one thing all day, it would be to go see films, talk about them and organize the setups in my head." But she was never really given the chance to spread her wings and find her own way. She just sort of ended up acting because it was all she knew from the age of 3.

How sad is that? As wonderful an actress as she is, who knows where her talent might have led her? Shouldn't she have had the chance to find out without her mother determining the rest of her life for her?

I think so...