Jodie Foster Debuts First French-Language Lead Role at Cannes

Jodie Foster is mixing movie magic with a dash of bonjour

Leading her first French-language film, ‘Vie Privée’ (A Private Life), which debuted at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, was a daring new move in Jodie Foster's decades-long acting career.  In this gripping psychological mystery, the 62-year-old Oscar-winning actress plays a therapist who believes that a patient's apparent suicide may have been murder.

 Jodie Foster said during a press conference that she had long shunned leading roles in language, even though she had been proficient in French since childhood, thanks to her schooling at a French-language prep school in Los Angeles.  She revealed that even though some directors had made approaches to her, she frequently turned them down because she believed that native French speakers should play the roles.  She hasn't taken on more significant roles until now because she was afraid she wouldn't properly grasp the intricacies of the language.

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For Jodie Foster, landing the lead in Rebecca Zlotowski's ‘Vie Privée’ marked a turning point in both her career and personal life.  She explained that performing in French completely altered her attitude to performance, calling the experience profoundly transforming.  She mentioned that she feels less confident, speaks with a higher voice, and gets frustrated when she can't express herself as precisely as she can in English.  She claimed that the character she played organically had a different emotional texture as a result of the language barrier.

 Foster's prior French-speaking appearances were mostly supporting ones, such as his 2004 costarring role with Audrey Tautou in ‘Un Long Dimanche de Fiançailles’ (A Very Long Engagement).  Throughout her career, Jodie Foster has used her linguistic abilities to dub her own performances into French for worldwide releases.

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Renowned French actors Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira, Mathieu Amalric, and others are all featured in ‘Vie Privée’.  Zlotowski co-wrote the film with Anne Berest and Gaëlle Macé. The audience at the Cannes Film Festival praised the movie with an incredible eight-minute standing ovation, showing their respect and appreciation for the movie. 

Jodie Foster, who recently won her first Emmy for ‘True Detective: Night Country,’ also teased a lighter project for her next creative project.  As she continues to develop as an actress and filmmaker, she has indicated interest in pursuing humorous parts.

 Although the release date for ‘Vie Privée’, which is distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, has not yet been established, excitement is already growing for what could be one of Foster's most distinctive and intimate performances to date.

—Farheen Ali