Jodie Foster Embraces Mentoring Gen Z in the Workplace Despite the Challenges
Jodie Foster, mother of two Gen Z sons, opens up about her mixed feelings towards the newest generation in the workplace While acknowledging their potential to be 'annoying,' she remains committed to mentoring them
Jodie Foster aims to be a mentor to Gen Z, but admits to sometimes feeling frustrated by her younger colleagues. "They can be quite irritating, especially in the workplace. They'll say things like, 'I'm not feeling it today, I'll come in at 10:30 a.m.,'" Foster, 61, shared in an interview with The Guardian published on Saturday, January 6. "And in emails, when I point out errors in grammar and spelling, they'll respond with, 'Why does that matter, isn't it limiting?'"
Despite her own challenges, she is committed to supporting the next generation. Foster, a mother of two Gen Z sons, is determined to offer guidance to aspiring young stars and has been involved in acting since childhood. "I often reach out to young actresses," Foster said. "It's important to me because I know how tough it was growing up." One of the actresses she reached out to was the nonbinary 20-year-old Bella Ramsey, star of The Last of Us, whom Foster personally selected to introduce her at Elle's Women in Hollywood celebration in December 2023.
“I reached out to Bella, because we’d never met, and said, ‘I want you to introduce me at this thing,’ which is a wonderful event about actors and people in the movies, but is also very much a fashion thing. Which means it’s determining who represents us,” Foster recalled. “They’ve got every ethnicity, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, but all the attendees are still wearing heels and eyelashes.’ There are other ways of being a woman, and it’s really important for people to see that. And Bella, who gave the best speech, was wearing the most perfect suit, beautifully tailored, and a middle parting and no makeup.”
Michael TRAN / AFP
Foster's advice for young actors is typically to relax, although she wishes that Gen Z (which includes anyone born between 1997 and 2010) would be more diligent about proofreading their emails.
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"Foster expressed the importance of learning to unwind, quieting the mind, and finding one's unique voice," she said. "I can guide them in discovering that, which is far more enjoyable than feeling the weight of being the main character in the narrative."
Foster continues to mentor young actors while also taking on leading roles in acclaimed projects. She is currently the lead in the biopic Nyad, a favorite for awards season, which tells the story of swimmer Diana Nyad. In addition, audiences are eagerly awaiting her appearance in the upcoming season of HBO's True Detective.
