Jodie Foster On Sexual Harassment: “Every Man Over 30 Has To Start Thinking About Their Part”

Jodie Foster is speaking out about sexual harassment, and specifically wants to hear from the man’s perspective.

JODIE FOSTER ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT

While speaking with USA Today, the actress and director shared that this moment, when women are feeling empowered enough to come forward about their abusers, is extremely important. “We really are at a watershed moment,” she said. “This part has been painful: these wonderful, amazing narratives that take into consideration everybody’s part in it. I’m really interested and looking forward to the men’s point of view, and what comes next in terms of therapy.”

Foster broke into the industry at 12 years old when she landed a role in Martin Scorsese‘s Taxi Driver in 1976. Since then, she has played many lead roles and has also become an accomplished director. She knows that sexual harassment is not simply an issue in Hollywood or in the film and TV industry, but across all industries.

“It’s every industry. It’s not just one socioeconomic bracket or one complexion,” she said. Even in Hollywood, “there’s more women in executive positions than you can imagine, so I don’t really think that changed anything. It didn’t even change women directors. There’s still just as few women directors as when there (were) four studio heads that were women, Maybe because I started making movies when there were no women, I saw how healthy it was when women came into the picture. When I’d go out on movie sets [before], it was like 175 guys in a small town. The second that they started normalizing and bringing women into the picture, which also brought children into the picture, then all of a sudden it wasn’t so unhealthy and people were happier. It didn’t feel like they were in some boot camp somewhere.”

But, Foster makes clear, this is not just a women’s issue but a men’s issue as well. She really wants men to take a look at their part, even if one individually doesn’t believe they’re part of the problem. “Pretty much every man over 30 has to really look and start thinking about their part,” she implored. “And I guarantee, lots of it is unconscious. When you’ve been in a privileged position where you haven’t had to look at your part, you didn’t 100% understand you were in a bubble. It’s an interesting time for men.”

Foster’s hope, though, is for the next generation of women to be comfortable saying no and standing up for themselves. “I’m looking forward to a new millennial woman that knows that she can say no,” she said. “But honestly, I think what most women want is just for it to stop. They don’t really want to have a lawsuit, they don’t want to have to go on CBS This Morning 400 times. They’d actually just like it to stop and that’ll be the good part.”