Fresh Air Podcast Summary

Episode: Best Of: Jodie Foster / Tessa Thompson (January 17, 2026)
Hosts: Terry Gross, Tonya Mosley

Episode Overview

This "Best Of" Fresh Air episode features two in-depth interviews:

• Jodie Foster discusses her remarkable journey from child actor to acclaimed, award-winning star, with particular focus on her early roles, her new French-language film A Private Life, and the 50th anniversary of Taxi Driver.
• Tessa Thompson reflects on her career trajectory, her leading role in the Netflix thriller His and Hers, and her ongoing commitment to roles exploring complex identity, self-realization, and representation.

The episode explores themes of self-discovery, the evolution of women in film, the impact of family and upbringing, and the ways personal histories shape acting choices and public personas.

Jodie Foster Interview with Terry Gross

Early Career and Language Immersion

• At age 3, Foster appeared in commercials; her mother, inspired by a trip to France, enrolled her in an immersion school (Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles), where she learned French fluently despite early struggles.
  • "I cried for about six months. And then I spoke fluently and got over it." — Jodie Foster (05:38)

Hypnosis and A Private Life

• New film A Private Life is French-language, with Foster playing an American psychoanalyst skeptical of hypnosis—mirroring her own experience using hypnosis to quit smoking.
  • “He said a few things. I felt a little sleepy...and then I just never smoked again.” — Jodie Foster (06:11)

On Set as a Child: Community over Craft

• Foster describes the unique community of film crews as her main joy, not the acting itself:
  • "I remember thinking…this is not a job I’m gonna do when I’m a grown-up…The part that was interesting to me was being on set with these families..." — Jodie Foster (10:04)

Lion Incident on Disney Set

• At age 9, she was accidentally picked up and shaken by a lion during filming. She describes the moment humorously and with perspective, noting the crew's "courage" in fleeing.
  • "He held me horizontally and then flipped me around and shook me, so I watched the entire film crew run in the opposite direction sideways." — Jodie Foster (11:56)
  • “I guess I was...it’s a shocking thing that happened. I had no idea what was happening...then he dropped me and the trainer said, ‘Drop it.’ And the lion was so well trained that he dropped me.” (12:27–13:00)

Taxi Driver Retrospective

• Foster, age 12 during filming, reflects on the complexity of her role, her mother’s "brilliant" and controversial decision to accept it, and the 1970s era of cinema.
  • “I couldn’t be happier that she chose these roles for me...” — Jodie Foster (14:35)
  • Foster discusses her mother's mixed messages about feminism typical for the era—urging career independence but also traditional gender caution.
    • "You can do anything...but make sure you don't ever make a man mad..." — Jodie Foster (15:38)
• She describes being precociously skilled at understanding emotion, but limited in expressing it offscreen, and credits acting (and Robert De Niro’s mentorship) for teaching her the power and craft of performance.
  • On De Niro: “He was the first person that ever took the time to treat me like an actor.” (23:54)
  • On acting: “I wanted to be excellent. So in order to do that, I had to learn emotions and I had to learn not only how to access them, but also how to control them so that I could give them intention.” — Jodie Foster (22:12)
• Describes an epiphany in New York:
  • "Wow, I finally get it. I really get it, and I want to be a part of this." (23:57–24:49)

Memorable Quote

• “God, are you square... Didn’t you ever hear of women’s lib?” — Jodie Foster as Iris, Taxi Driver scene clip (18:25)

Tessa Thompson Interview with Tonya Mosley

Thematic Through-Line and Role Selection

• Thompson gravitated towards characters who are publicly visible yet privately conflicted, and who challenge simple categorizations of identity and power.
  • “Many of them…are highly intelligent, but also deeply self reflective…They use control as a way to survive.” — Tonya Mosley (28:15)
• His and Hers: Thompson plays Anna, a news anchor entangled in a murder investigation and personal drama, with the show structured around competing truths.
  • “There are at least two sides to every story, yours and mine, ours and theirs, his and hers, which means someone is always lying.” — Tessa Thompson, His and Hers (27:23)

Research and Preparation

• Thompson shadowed real anchors in Atlanta, learning the realities and nuances of their work:
  • “I had always sort of assumed that anchors in particular were people that were just reading the news as opposed to writing it…but, you know, I had a similar thing just sitting across from you...” — Tessa Thompson (30:08–30:15)

Performance and Self-Projection

• Discusses the complex dynamics between personal life and public persona, as in a scene where Anna’s critique of a rival is also self-reflection.
  • [Clip: 31:34] Thompson describes the struggles of being a partner to a public figure:
  • “Friends tell you it must be exciting to have a celebrity wife...But it’s not, is it?...So happy or not, it hurts you both.”—Tessa Thompson (31:34)

Beginnings in Hollywood

• Thompson recalls her first TV role as a “lesbian bootlegger from the 1930s” on Cold Case, relishing the research-heavy role after challenging, unsuccessful commercial auditions.
  • “I was…cold calling agents…sending my little resume…I was like, I don’t know if I’m gonna make it this way…” — Tessa Thompson (36:39)

Persistence, Connection, and Black Women's Legacy

• Discusses her determination—auditioning for For Colored Girls despite the part being filled, eventually joining a powerhouse cast.
  • “I just devoured that play and read it so many times and loved it…” — Tessa Thompson (38:37)
  • On working with influential Black actresses:
  • “All of the women I watched my whole childhood...Janet Jackson...I was her for three times at Halloween...these women meant so, so, so much to me.” — Tessa Thompson (40:30)

Family Influence and Biracial Identity

• Reflects on her father, musician Mark Anthony Thompson, and how his constant filming helped her find ease in front of the camera and made creation feel communal.
  • “I was lit up by a camera’s presence. It was actually later in life when I began working professionally that I had to build a new relationship with a camera.” — Tessa Thompson (42:56)
• Mother’s influence on embracing Black identity and authenticity, helping her resist pressure to assimilate or change her appearance.
  • “My mom gave me an early sense of self enough that I could say, no, actually, I want to look like myself.” — Tessa Thompson (48:45)
• On being biracial and being given agency by her mother:
  • “She did a really phenomenal job at raising a mixed race daughter... connecting me to my black identity and making sure that I was in those spaces...” — Tessa Thompson (50:09)

Defining ‘Yes’ and ‘No’

• Thompson discusses her “yes” and “no” tattoos as reminders of optimism, boundaries, and embracing both affirmation and discernment in her career.
  • “It was a reminder to myself that we are as much defined by the things that we don’t do than by the things that we do.” — Tessa Thompson (51:50)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Jodie Foster on being mauled by a lion (11:56):
  “He held me horizontally and then flipped me around and shook me, so I watched the entire film crew run in the opposite direction sideways.”
• Jodie Foster on acting:
  “If I was gonna…I wanted to be excellent. So in order to do that, I had to learn emotions and I had to learn not only how to access them, but also how to control them so that I could give them intention.” (22:12)
• Tessa Thompson on belonging:
  “I spend a lot of time energetically feeling connected to…black women inside of this business. Because I just know from watching film and television growing up that it meant so much.” (41:10)
• Tessa Thompson on mother’s influence:
  “I want to keep my hair just like this. And I remember when I made that choice, she cried because she was so happy. But she had given the choice to me…” (47:22)

Key Segments & Timestamps

• [04:56] Foster begins her interview; French-language education, early career
• [05:44] Hypnosis anecdote and plot of A Private Life
• [10:43] Foster describes a near-disastrous lion incident on set
• [14:13] Taxi Driver’s cultural impact, mother’s influence, feminism
• [18:25][Clip] “Didn’t you ever hear of women’s lib?” Taxi Driver scene
• [22:12] Foster on learning to access and control emotions
• [23:54] De Niro’s mentorship and eureka moment in acting
• [26:14] Tessa Thompson interview begins; character patterns, His and Hers theme
• [29:10] Thompson on shadowing real news anchors
• [31:34][Clip] Anna on the costs of public life (His and Hers)
• [36:39] Thompson on scrappy beginnings to get auditions
• [38:37] Auditioning for For Colored Girls
• [41:10] The deep legacy of Black actresses and identity
• [47:22] On mother’s advocacy and embracing natural hair
• [51:50] On her “yes” and “no” tattoos as symbols of boundaries

Final Thoughts

Both interviews are engaging explorations of how two groundbreaking actresses view their careers, their identities, and their obligations to themselves and their communities. With vivid anecdotes, transparent discussions about family and feminism, and analysis of iconic roles, the episode offers much for film lovers, aspiring actors, and anyone interested in how art and life intersect.