(NEW Y
L-R: George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Jodie Foster on the set of “Money Monster”; Atsushi Nishijima/©2016 CTMG, Inc.ORK) — Jodie Foster is back with a new big-screen thriller, but this time she’s not in front of the camera.
The two-time Oscar winner has instead chosen to return to the director’s chair with the new film Money Monster, which opens today. The film stars George Clooney as the host of a TV investment show. Julia Roberts plays his producer, with newcomer Jack O’Connell playing a guy who takes Clooney’s character hostage at gunpoint.
“He’s a young guy who wanted to be a stockholder,” said Foster. “And he put all of his money in what Lee Gates [Clooney’s character] told him was a safe bet. And unfortunately there was a glitch and he lost everything. He comes on the show and he wants some answers. He wants somebody to tell him where his money went.”
And with that plot, the thrills begin. But why isn’t Foster on screen for this one?
“First of all, it’s no fun acting and directing at the same time,” Foster, 53, told Peter Travers. “I think it’s a bad thing to do. I think they should have a little advisory on your [Directors Guild of America] card – ‘please do not do both at the same time.’”
Fans will note, Foster hasn’t been on screen since 2013, when she starred in the sci-fi flick Elysium. Some have questioned whether she’ll ever return after Foster delivered an impassioned speech at the 2013 Golden Globe Awards that implied to many that she was giving up acting.
“You never say never,” Foster said. “I really want to focus on the directing. And it’s true you can’t do the same thing for 50 years and not have some kind of change in your life. I will always act, I’m sure. I just don’t know how often I’ll act. I can’t imagine I’ll ever quit acting. But it’s been a new stage for me. And it’s wonderful being scared, a little scared about what the future brings and learning new things and I’m growing. And that’s been a wonderful opportunity.”
Fifty years is no exaggeration. Foster started in the TV and filmmaking business at just three years old and has won two Academy Awards. So it may come as a surprise to many that just two weeks ago, she was finally honored with a star on Hollywood Boulevard. What took so long?
“I grew up about 15 blocks from Hollywood Boulevard,” Foster said. “And we had to cross over it every single day coming to school. It’s something that I’ve known I’ve always wanted my whole life. I just didn’t want to get one unless it had to do with directing, that somehow it had to do with directing. That was something I’ve always wanted to do. It was really a goal of mine.”
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