Jodie Foster Says She Was Offered Lead Roles in French Films Before ‘Vie Privée’ but Was ‘Too Scared’: The Dialogue ‘Was a Huge Challenge for Me’

Jodie Foster revealed that she’s been offered leading roles in French films before making “Vie Privée,” but was “too scared” to take them on. The Oscar winner is fluent in the language, having attended a French school growing up in Los Angeles.

“I had secondary parts [in French films] before, but I was actually afraid,” Foster said during “Vie Privée’s” Cannes press conference. “A number of directors offered me projects but I was too scared to act in French. I thought someone who was more familiar with French should do so. But I don’t really remember how things worked out this time around.”

Earlier in the press conference, Foster — who spoke in French nearly the entire time — said leading a French film was something she had “wanted to do for a long time,” but learning all the dialogue was a “huge challenge.”

“The great thing is that when I act in French, I’m a totally different person,” she added. “I have a much higher voice, I’m much less confident and I get very frustrated because I can’t express myself as well. And so it actually creates a new kind of character for me.”

The Rebecca Zlotowski-directed film premiered at the festival on Tuesday night to an impressive eight-minute standing ovation. “Vie Privée” stars Foster as a psychotherapist who becomes convinced that her patient’s suicide was actually a murder. The film marks Foster’s first film shot in France since 2004’s “A Very Long Engagement.” Her co-stars include Daniel Auteuil, who plays her ex-husband, and Virginie Edina, who portrays a mysterious patient whose death triggers her unorthodox investigation. Sony Pictures Classics will distribute “Vie Privée” in North America.