Rebecca Zlotowski: "The question isn't why I wanted Jodie Foster, the question is why she agreed".

Rebecca Zlotowski, a French director of Polish and Moroccan descent, has spoken candidly about her decision to cast Jodie Foster in her latest film Vie privée (Drama: Private Life), which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year. “The question isn’t why I wanted Jodie Foster,” she stated. “The question is, why did she agree.” The casting, she explained, was a culmination of years of ambition and careful planning. Zlotowski, known for her dramas such as Les enfants des autres (Children of Others, 2022) and Planetarium (2016), has worked with Hollywood stars like Natalie Portman and Lily-Rose Depp. Yet, she described working with Foster as “the biggest achievement of my career.” She noted that while Foster is American, she grew up in a household steeped in French culture, her mother was a francophile who enrolled her daughter in a French school in Los Angeles. This cultural duality, Zlotowski argued, made Foster uniquely suited to play the role of Lillian Steiner, a psychotherapist in Paris, whose character is both American and French in identity. To make the character’s dual heritage clear to audiences, Zlotowski had to add subtle cues into the script, including specific observations and remarks in English, to signal that the audience was watching an American woman in Paris rather than a Frenchwoman in her native environment. The film blends elements of Hitchcockian suspense, romance, black comedy, and a psychological descent into the subconscious, creating a complex narrative that challenges traditional genre boundaries. Foster herself expressed interest in participating in a smaller, more author-driven French film, one that would not be a heavily American-produced project. During promotional interviews, she emphasized her desire to work in a different cinematic context, away from the dominant Hollywood model. Zlotowski saw this as an opportunity to collaborate with someone who shared her vision of artistic independence. The two women met through mutual agents, and Foster read the script before agreeing to the role. According to Zlotowski, the process was straightforward. However, she acknowledged that there were underlying reasons behind the alignment of their careers. She suggested that Foster’s decision to work with her might have been influenced by the current climate in the United States, where many artists are experiencing a form of cultural exile. At 60, Foster may have felt that the time was right to take creative risks, especially in a foreign language and culture where she could feel fully at home. Zlotowski believes that Foster’s choice reflects not just personal taste but broader industry trends. She pointed out that female actors in America often struggle to find roles that match their age and experience, particularly after 40 or 50. By choosing to work with a French director, Foster may have been seeking a space where her talents could be recognized and valued without the constraints of Hollywood’s expectations. In addition to the professional collaboration, Zlotowski spoke about the emotional weight of the role. The character of Lillian, a psychotherapist, deals with a patient named Paula, who commits suicide after missing several scheduled sessions. The incident raises questions about whether Lillian’s approach contributed to the tragedy or if Paula was a victim of a manipulative dynamic. Zlotowski admitted that the idea of questioning her own expertise was difficult, but she leaned toward the latter possibility. She also reflected on the nature of filmmaking itself, describing it as a kind of hidden world filled with spirits and memories. “Imagine a place where there are spirits and dead parents,” she said. “Imagine a pleasant place… I don’t believe it exists, but somehow it does, as long as the film lasts.” For Zlotowski, the act of creation is deeply personal, driven by a need to explore uncharted territory and challenge conventional storytelling.