Jodie Foster Didn’t Know She Was Nominated For a SAG Award for ‘Nell’ Until After She Won

Jodie Foster had a surprise back in 1995 when she found out she had won a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award — and it wasn’t just because of the win itself, but because she didn’t even know the awards existed.

In a recent interview with Netflix’s Tudum, the 61-year-old actress shared her initial disbelief upon hearing about her win for her leading role in the movie Nell. “I first heard about my win the next morning,” Foster recounted. “I’d never heard of the nomination,” she added, describing the moment as a sudden shock, feeling like someone had made a mistake.

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Kathy Connell, a founding member of the SAG Awards Committee and former executive producer, reflected on the early days of the awards show, recalling how it wasn’t an immediate hit during awards season.

“People would say, ‘SAG awards, what SAG awards?’ It was so nerve-racking because we were throwing one of the biggest parties in Hollywood and we didn’t know if anybody would come,” Connell remarked.

The inaugural SAG Award winners, alongside Foster, included Tom Hanks for Forrest Gump, Dianne Wiest for ‘Bullets over Broadway’ and Martin Landau for ‘Ed Wood.’ The ceremony took place at Stage 12 at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, with winners voted upon by members of SAG-AFTRA, a tradition that continues today.

Dennis Franz, known for his role in NYPD Blue, remembered attending the ceremony between appearances at Frank Sinatra’s golf tournament, initially sceptical but later appreciating the unique concept of actors acknowledging their peers.

Reflecting on her experience, Foster expressed gratitude for the recognition from her fellow actors, especially for a performance that may not have been a critics’ favourite but was personally significant to her.

Foster, nominated once again for a SAG Award this year in the supporting movie actress category for her role in ‘Nyad,’ highlighted the importance of actors recognising each other’s work, emphasising the often overlooked aspect of ensemble performances in the film.