Jodie Foster Clarifies Comment About Gen Zs After Getting Flak For Calling Them ‘Really Annoying’

Jan 26, 2024

Jodie Foster has captivated audiences for years as an actress, director and producer in the film and television industry. She has played many critically acclaimed roles, with one of her most notable in the classic psychological horror film “The Silence of the Lambs.” Foster has received numerous awards and nominations over the span of her career and continues to make an impact on the entertainment industry to this day.

Foster was born Alicia Christian Foster on Nov. 19, 1962, in Los Angeles, California. The nickname “Jodie” stuck after her siblings began referring to her as such. Her career got off to a strong start as she began appearing in televised advertisements before landing roles in both movies and TV shows. As she picked up more challenging jobs, she received even more fantastic feedback from both fans and critics. 

Although some people scrutinized her, Foster never gave up on her goals and ambitions and continued to work as an actress, director, and producer in the entertainment industry.

The two-time Academy Award winner clinched her first Oscar for her riveting portrayal of a rape survivor in “The Accused” and followed it with another triumph in “Silence of the Lambs,” solidifying her status as a powerhouse in the industry. Foster’s remarkable talent has also garnered her three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globes, and a Cecil B. DeMille Award for her outstanding contribution to the world of entertainment. 

At 61, Foster is still a force of nature. She garnered buzz and attention for her outstanding portrayal of athlete Diana Nyad in the 2023 film “Nyad.” Sadly, she also faced scrutiny when she spoke out against Gen Zs in an interview with The Guardian. Read on to learn more about Foster and the comments she had received. 

Foster’s age never stood in the way of landing more critical roles and showing off all of her talents. In 1976, Foster acted in the British musical film “Bugsy Malone.” This movie was extremely different from others at the time as the leading stars were all children parodying Prohibition Era gangsters. The Chicago Sun-Times’s review of her performance only helped her career, as she was praised for the amazing work she was putting out.

Foster continued to prove herself and break more barriers in the entertainment industry. She hosted “Saturday Night Live” in November 1976 and was the youngest person to do so until 1982, when then 7-year-old Drew Barrymore hosted. In 1988, Foster made her directorial debut with an episode of the horror series “Tales from the Darkside.” The first film she directed, “Little Man Tate,” was released three years later, in October 1991.

Foster’s sexuality had been a hot topic of conversation throughout her career, especially after critics and fans claimed there was apparent homophobia and transphobia portrayed in “The Silence of the Lambs.” Foster had met producer Cydney Bernard on the set of “Sommersby” in 1993, and the two were in a quiet relationship until 2008, despite having two children together.

Foster once again addressed the fact that she was part of the LGBTQ+ community during a speech at the Golden Globe Awards in 2013. “I hope you’re not disappointed that there won’t be a big coming-out speech tonight, because I already did my coming out about a thousand years ago back in the stone age,” Foster said.

Foster has been known to speak her mind, whether it was about her sexuality or civil rights. 

In a 2024 interview with The Guardian, Foster took a snipe on the newer generation, colloquially called Generation Z or Gen Zs. 

“They’re really annoying, especially in the workplace. They’re like, ‘Nah, I’m not feeling it today, I’m gonna come in at 10:30 a.m.’” she pointed out. “Or, like, in emails, I’ll tell them this is all grammatically incorrect, did you not check your spelling? And they’re like, ‘Why would I do that, isn’t that kind of limiting?’”

Ironically, Foster and Bernard have two sons together, both in their s20s. When her interview became a trending topic on social media, she divided her fans, who surprisingly were also partially composed of the said generation. 

At the 2024 Golden Globes Red Carpet, Foster clarified her stance, telling Entertainment Tonight the whole context. 

“I adore them. They have all this freedom, which is wonderful but we didn’t have. We didn’t know we could say no, for example, and it’s just created a miraculous, confident, different, authentic people,” she said. “But you need them in order to make your phone work. What can I say.”

Elsewhere in the Guardian interview, Foster raved about her two sons, saying that they’re “super feminist.” 

“My two don’t like sports,” she revealed. “They like to watch movies and sit at home, and they’re really into their female friends. They’re super feminist. And there was a moment with my older one when he was in high school, when, because he was raised by two women – three women – it was like he was trying to figure out what it was to be a boy.”

Are you a fan of Jodie Foster? Do you agree with her comments about Gen Zs? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends, and other Jodie Foster fans out there!