Jodie Foster Talks Taking on an All-French Role in 'A Private Life'

And we're back with one of Hollywood's greatest talents 2 time Oscar winner Jodie Foster. And if you think you've seen this acting legend do it all none of that think again her latest film a private life marks a career first for Jodie taking on a leading role. That's completely in French Jodie plays a psychiatrist whose patient dies in mysterious circumstances and she decides to investigate the mystery herself take a look. It's you and I can't it's a fun. You can't. And that's it. It's a huge it's really just a couple of weeks and she's going to be a part of the 2 to 6 people. women. Jody good morning or should I say it was you'll lose. I mean first of all let's just let's let's address the elephant in the room. I don't know if a lot of folks knew that you are fluent in French. Yeah, I went to a French school, my mom put me in French school when I was 9 and then I did everything in France, a science math history all that stuff and I continued with it. I dubbed all my movies in French. I've done quite a few films in French but usually smaller roles. So this is a big challenge for me to do a bigger role. A crack team of producers discovered that not only do you speak in French back to French. Yes, you apparently sing in French as well. Roll the tape. Oh no, oh no. 70's are not dead. We thought we knew Jody Foster. This is the problem with the Internet. Nothing disappears what's happening here. I'm not quite sure what was happening there. I like the outfit actually that's nice. It was yeah song I did for a movie and it was a French movie that I've done and there you have it follows you wherever you go. Let's go back to the film there for a moment because I also read that the film itself is a bit of a nod to your late mother. Yeah, yeah, I mean for a number of reasons one to love France. And yet she never learned to speak French. She never traveled anywhere. Until she's probably like 50. And then she left the country she went to France on one of those bus trips and came back and said that's it you're going to learn French going to go to French school someday you'll be a French actor living in France. That was her dream for me and for herself and part of that has come true. You are now French actor that's true. I guess I didn't part of your time in France. I walk us through this plot here but do Okay well. Yes, it's a psychiatrist is a Freudian psychiatrist, we don't do a lot of that here, but they still do in France. Who's a little uptight and has you know some very distant emotional relationships, their family. She's decided to investigate this this mysterious death of a patient of hers and through the process of that kind of discovers parts of herself that she wasn't aware of yeah changes a bit we don't want to give away obviously too much, but that was one of the things I found fascinating about the film at the beginning, it's obvious by the way it's like part mystery. Yes, there's some comedic moments. Yeah, we get to do that in France is no genre right and be a little mystery little romantic a bit of a comedy all of those things at once and what starts as a whodunit it quickly becomes apparent that you're on a journey about much more. Yes, let's talk about taxi, it's hard to believe. Yeah, it's 50 years 50 years since taxi driver debut quite amazing what's the relationship now with with Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese my relationship with them. Yeah, I don't really have one except I see them occasionally and you know just thank them, I'm just so grateful that they gave me that opportunity I had already done Alice is in the fair anymore with Scorsese before the taxi driver, but they gave me the opportunity and I changed my life and Robert De Niro kind of took me under his wing during that shoot and it opened my eyes to what acting could be your kid, you're a kid actor back to I was a kid after, but I thought it was kind of a dumb job, I thought we I just learn lines that are already written and say them that didn't sound challenging enough, but I think at that time I was young and I didn't understand there's so much more to it. You are in your in your 60's now 63, but it would seem as if you're having quite the Renaissance nominated for an Oscar in your 60's. Yeah, any award in their 60's. Yeah, another Golden Globe. Another Golden Globe. What is Jodie Foster like in her 60's. Happier I think more content because it does a weird thing happens to you at 60 where you just don't care anymore and you don't care about all the things you care about your 50's that just seem pointless. You just really want to live your best life and you're not interested in competing with old ideas of yourself I at least for me at least for me it's it's just it makes me happier and happier you seem happier and happier. Yeah, I love the film, I hope you watch it. And it's it was interesting because I my producer said it's in French yeah, I thought it meant part of it was in French and you certainly like all the whole things in French. Yeah, and you know, I grew up watching European movies and foreign films and so for me it's a real treat to to see a film in a different language for me that sort of exotic and it makes it all better. Well, I can certainly see what got an 8 minute standing ovation, it can so well done congratulations so much since we're we're speaking French in a moment, I want you to help me go to the tease okay in French okay, but first a private life in select theaters next Friday, January 16 nationwide on the 30th can can we say something like this is today on NBC in French and I'm in the 3rd to you should know. The boss, the which is would be the name of your program the both see. The ball the ball, say all of the all of this is bad. We're going to do it, yes, it's today. We do have a few CBS. Yes, well you can cut that out. Hey, thanks for watching don't forget you can catch the today show every morning on NBC or take today when you're on the go just follow the today podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify or wherever you listen.