Jodie Foster | New Countries For Old Man

Summary

The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert

Episode Summary: Jodie Foster | New Countries For Old Man

Date: January 7, 2026
Guest: Jodie Foster
Host: Stephen Colbert

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Overview

This episode blends Stephen Colbert’s signature satirical take on current political events with a warm, wide-ranging interview with legendary actress and director Jodie Foster. The main themes include recent absurdities in American politics, the impact of celebrity and media, as well as an engaging conversation about Foster's prolific career, her experiences working in French film, and pivotal moments with acting icons.

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Key Discussion Points

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Monologue: Satire on Trump and Global Affairs

(01:06 – 13:06)

• Reflections on January 6th & Donald Trump’s Legacy
  Colbert humorously re-frames January 6th, noting both its gravity and the ongoing attempts at revisionism by Trump:

  “Today is January 6th, a dark day in our nation's history and a permanent state legacy of Donald Trump. Because it is Eric Trump’s birthday. You can't wash that out. Also, there was the failed coup.” (01:08)

• The Maduro Invasion Poll
  Satirizes both public ignorance and poll results:

  “Only one in three Americans supports the US ousting Maduro, while two thirds of Americans think Maduro is the name of a new weight loss drug.” (02:30)

• Trump’s “Day of Love” and Foreign Policy
  Mocks Trump’s desire to invade various countries:

  “It’s pretty wild to live under a Pokemon President whose foreign policy is ‘gotta catch em all.’” (05:11)

• On US Intentions in Greenland
  Draws out the absurdity in the administration’s stance:

  “If you’re worried about a war over a bunch of rocks and ice against one of our NATO allies, you will not be comforted by the words of Stephen Miller...” (06:24)

• Kennedy Center Honors Ratings
  Playful ribbing about Trump’s underwhelming success as a host:

  “If it weren’t beneath me, I’d call him no talent low rated Donald Trump.” (08:23)

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. & Vaccine Policies
  Critiques new stances on childhood vaccinations with trademark sarcasm:

  “Now kids will have to build up their immune systems the old fashioned way by licking everything in the Chuck E. Cheese ball pit.” (11:23)

• McRib Lawsuit
  Laughs about food authenticity lawsuits:

  “Our core sample found 0 T. Rex DNA... McDonald’s new slogan: at least it’s not anus.” (12:50)

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Interview: Jodie Foster

(14:18 – 26:14)

Jodie Foster’s Career and New Film

• Introduction and Warm Welcome

  “You are our national treasure. However, all the late night people need you in order to tell them all the silliness of what’s what.” – Jodie Foster (14:51)

• On Iconic Costuming (Contact & Hats)
  Colbert teases Foster about her character’s distinctive hat in ‘Contact’ and how that reflects her “whatever” approach to clothing:

  “That tells you a little something about my personality... When it comes to clothes, I’m kind of like, yeah, whatever, I’ll wear it.” – Jodie Foster (15:36)

• Working with Carl Sagan
  Discusses Sagan’s original screenplay and its transformation:

  “He wrote the screenplay for Contact. It was terrible. So he said, now what am I gonna do? I guess I’ll just write a book.” – Jodie Foster (16:09)

The New Film: ‘A Private Life’

• On Making a French-Language Film
  Explains the plot and her character’s journey:

  “It’s about a psychiatrist who’s an expat living in Paris... She’s told one of her patients commits suicide. She doesn’t believe it, so she goes off to investigate, and she decides it’s been a murder.” – Jodie Foster (17:52)
  “She’s really sort of investigating herself.” – Jodie Foster (18:17)

• Acting in French vs. English

  “I feel like I have a different personality in French. She has a much higher voice... and is a little vulnerable. That’s kind of how it works.” – Jodie Foster (19:45)

Memories of Paris and Learning French

• First Trips to Paris and Early Language Learning

  “My mom gave me these little tapes... she made me order for her. Made me do everything actually, while I was there.” – Jodie Foster (21:23)

  Hilarious story about eating only ham sandwiches as a child in Paris and suffering the consequences:

  “I would only eat ham sandwiches. That was it. The whole trip... And I threw up at the end the last day. All over, just ham sandwich.” – Jodie Foster (21:39)

Reflection on ‘Taxi Driver’ at 50

• Recollecting Cannes and Doing the Press

  “So I did all of the press for Taxi Driver. In French. It was just you? It was just me.” – Jodie Foster (24:39)

• On Working with Robert De Niro

  “He was Travis Bickle at the time... he would just run these lines with me. And then he took the time on the third day to really start and make me understand what improvisation was. I will forever be grateful.” – Jodie Foster (25:00 – 25:44)

  “I think the only reason that I’m an actor now is that Robert De Niro made me understand that it was deeper than what I had already been doing.” – Jodie Foster (25:40)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump’s Invasion Justification:

  “I am he as you are he as you are me. And we are all altogether. I am the walrus. Goo do the coup.” – Stephen Colbert (03:40)

• Jodie Foster on acting in French:

  “I feel like I have a different personality in French. She’s frustrated all the time and filled with anxiety and is a little vulnerable.” (19:56)

• On Parisian Work Culture:

  “They smoke more and it's perfectly legal. They drink wine at lunch. They have very delicious food...it’s only an eight hour day.” – Jodie Foster (20:40)

• Childhood in Paris Story:

  “I would only eat ham sandwiches... and I threw up at the end the last day. All over, just ham sandwich.” (21:39)

• On Robert De Niro and Improv:

  “He took the time on the third day to really start and make me understand what improvisation was. I will forever be grateful.” – Jodie Foster (25:44)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:06 Satirical monologue on Trump, January 6, and foreign relations
• 13:06 Close of monologue, Jodie Foster segment intro
• 14:37 Jodie Foster joins the show
• 16:02 Discussion about Carl Sagan and ‘Contact’
• 17:52 Foster explains her new French film
• 19:45 Foster on acting in French
• 20:40 Comparisons between French and American film crews
• 21:10 Childhood stories of learning French and early Paris trips
• 23:37 Taxi Driver at 50, and doing press in French
• 24:56 Working with Robert De Niro and discovering improvisation
• 26:14 End of interview

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Conclusion

This episode is a quintessential Late Show experience, mixing biting political satire with substantive, often funny, celebrity conversation. Jodie Foster brings warmth and humility as she revisits key moments of her career and shares fresh insights from her latest French film. Whether riffing on American absurdity or probing the nuances of acting across languages, both Colbert and Foster keep the energy playful, self-aware, and sharp.

Transcript

[A]

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[C]

Car selling made easy on Carvana.

[A]

Pickup fees may apply.

[C]

Welcome.

[B]

Welcome in here, out there, all around the world, to the Late Show. I'm your host, Stephen Colbert. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure I don't have to tell anybody in this room. Today is January 6th, a dark day in our nation's history and a permanent state legacy of Donald Trump. Because it is Eric Trump's birthday, You can't wash that out. Also, there was the failed coup. And ever since, Trump has been desperate to make us forget he had a failed coup. Failed coup. He has Instead repeatedly called January 6, 2021 a day of love. Yeah, it is a bit of a weird description, but remember, Trump has a weird concept of love. This is what he considers a birthday card. Are you one? Are you pubes now? Of course, the big topic today remains the arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. So far, the public reaction to the invasion has been meh. In a new Reuters Ipsos Chili's triple Dipper combo poll, only one in three Americans supports the US Ousting Maduro, while two thirds of Americans think Maduro is the name of a new weight loss drug. Ask your physician if Maduro is right for you. But Trump remains confident. Trump remains confident. No Nepali. No. Thank you very much. But Trump remains confident that his fans support the invasion, saying, Maga loves it. Maga loves what I'm doing. Maga loves everything I do. Maga is me. Maga loves everything I do. And I love everything I do, too. In conclusion, I am he as you are he as you are me. And we are all altogether. I am the walrus goo do the coup. So you won't be. So you would be surprised to learn that when he was asked who was running Venezuela now, he responded, me Rejoice, people of Venezuela. You can say goodbye to Madman Maduro and say hello to Madman Meadeuro. Donde esta El oil? El oil. Now this is not good news for the woman that everybody had assumed Trump would put into power, Nobel Prize winner Maria Corinne Machado. In fact, reportedly, he's so upset about her winning the Nobel Peace Prize that he won't make her president. She was asked about the Nobel last night by Sean Hannity. Did you at any point offer to give him the Nobel Peace Prize? Did that actually happen? I had read that somewhere. I wasn't sure if it was true.

[A]

Well, it hasn't happened yet, but I certainly would love to be able to personally tell him that we believe the.

[B]

Venezuelan people because this is a price of.

[A]

The Venezuelan people. Certainly want to give it to him and share it with him.

[C]

Ooh.

[B]

Rookie move. I know, I know you're trying to kiss his ass, but you lost him the moment you used the word share. Or he's, as he calls it, the C word. It looks like. It looks like Venezuela. That is sad, isn't it? That's some sad videotape. It looks like Venezuela is only the beginning because now Trump is threatening military action against a whole bunch of other countries, including Colombia, Mexico and Iran. It's pretty wild to live under a Pokemon president whose foreign policy is gotta catch em all. But the sovereign territory Trump really wants to get his mushy little mitts on is Greenland. Do you expect to take inaction against Greenland? Well, I don't want to talk about Greenland. We'll worry about Greenland in about two months. Let's talk about Greenland.

[A]

20 days.

[B]

By the way, I will say this about Greenland. We need Greenland from a national security situation. Wow, he failed that marshmallow test immediately. Look, I don't want to eat that marshmallow, okay? We'll worry about the marshmallow in two months. Okay? We'll eat it in 20 days. We'll eat it in 20 days. I will say this about the marshmallow. Give me that marshmallow. Marshmallow. If you're worried about a war over a bunch of rocks and ice against one of our NATO allies, you will not be comforted by the words of Stephen Miller, who said this to Jake Tapper last night. Can you rule out that the US Is ever going to try to take Greenland by force? Well, let me go back a step. That's not a no, honey. Would you ever cheat on me?

[C]

Well.

[B]

Let me go back a step, Miller went on. Greenland has a population of 30,000 people, Jake. The real question is, by what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? What is the basis of their territorial claim? Good question, Steve. Denmark has controlled Greenland for about 300 years. And in 1916, the United States formally recognized Denmark's interest in Greenland in exchange for the Danish West Indies, which became the US Virgin Islands. Wait, there's an island of virgins? I gotta. No, hold on. Get me the phone. Get me the phone right now. I gotta tell my friend Jeffrey he's.

[A]

What?

[B]

Why? God, why? All right, that's why. I'll call you back. Trump's invasion of Venezuela on Saturday threw off my plans for What I really wanted to talk about this week, which of course is how this year's Kennedy Center Honors drew an all time low viewership on CBS with host Donald Trump. Nobody saw that coming. I'm sorry, I read that wrong. Nobody saw that the President managed to draw only 3 million viewers on CBS. Now, it is beneath me to gloat, but if it weren't beneath me, I'd call him no talent low rated Donald Trump. You know what? Wow.

[C]

Wow.

[B]

I gotta say, I see why he says that. That felt good. Then again, maybe we should cut the guy some slack. After all, it was just his first year hosting. As a former Kennedy center host myself, I know it can take a while to build an audience. What were my ratings my first year? 9.25 million viewers. What? Huh? 9.25 million viewers. Wow.

[C]

Huh?

[B]

What do you. Three times as many. And I didn't even name the building after myself. What's that? What you're telling me? I actually knew that because I asked my research to get me that information this morning so I could do this thing and pretend like I didn't know. Well, you learn something new every day. Trump's terrible numbers hurt more when you remember that he predicted it would be the highest rated show they have ever done. Well, that's about as far off as a prediction could possibly be next to Amelia Earhart's famous words. One thing's for sure, I ain't gettin lost. Yeah. Yeah, she's had a free ride for too long. We had a debate during the rehearsal about whether I should do an off road to just Jack slap Amelia Earhart for no reason. And evidently my staff really hates her. I think she was a wonderful woman. There's an update from HHS Secretary RFK Jr. Seen here learning fire good during his confirmation hearings. Bobby promised not to mess around with our vaccines, but apparently his brain worm ate that memory because yesterday his health officials slashed the number of vaccines recommended for all kids. So now kids will have to build up their immune systems the old fashioned way by licking everything in the Chuck E. Cheese ball pit. Bobby's new vaccine schedule leaves off some pretty bad diseases. He recommends kids no longer be required to get shots for rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rsv, some forms of meningitis, and flu, which is terrible timing because right now the flu has reached its highest level in the US in 25 years. Flu hasn't been this bad since 2000, when the nation was also facing an epidemic of Carlos Santana featuring Rob Thomas fever. And we remember. And we remember what health officials said then. Man, it's a hard walk. For now. For now, it was a long walk. Thank you for coming with me. Thank you. We debated that one in rehearsal, too. For now, vaccines will still be available, but only when doctors recommend them in what's called shared decision making. And who will parents share this decision making with? I have two Ravens, of course. They're always there. The White House also pitched in by posting this medical cartoon featuring an American baby about all the vaccines it's getting compared to a European baby getting fewer vaccines who is slightly less sad because its mom is about to give it a glass of Bordeaux. Speaking they start early. Speaking of things that aren't necessarily good for you, a new lawsuit alleges that McDonald's McRib sandwich contains no rib meat. What was your first hint that the McRib wasn't real rib? Was it when you saw that the bones are also made of meat? We're also suing the makers of Dino Nuggets. Our core sample found 0t. Rex DNA. The plaintiffs say the sandwich should include at least some meaningful quantity of actual pork rib meat when they claim it's actually made from lower grade pork products such as shoulder, heart and skaldic stomach, explains McDonald's new slogan.

[A]

@ least it's not.

[B]

Anus. We got a great show for you.

[A]

Tonight coming.

[C]

Up. Jody.

[B]

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[B]

More. Ladies and gentlemen, my first guest tonight is a director and an actress with two Academy Awards who has entertained audiences for over 50 years. She now stars in the film A Private Life. Please welcome back to the late show Jodie.

[A]

Foster.

[B]

Wow. Nice to see you.

[A]

Again. You got the.

[B]

Audience. We do have the audience. Well, we have the guest. It's wonderful to have Jody Foster on. Really classes up the.

[A]

Joint. Thank.

[B]

You. See you over.

[A]

There. You are our national treasure.

[B]

However. Oh, you're.

[A]

Very. All the late night people need you in order to tell them all the silliness of what's what. Otherwise what would they do at.

[B]

Night. Watch Kimmel now. Hey, Happy New.

[A]

Year. Thank.

[B]

You. I hope you've had a lovely.

[A]

One. Oh, I.

[B]

Did. You know, I've said to you before, I'm a big fan not only of your acting but of your hats. I, I want to ask you something about. I love this image. This is a famous image of you from Contact here. This is you in Contact. You're listening for, you know, I'm listening through my hat. You're listening. Well, you've got, you got a hat on. You got a scarf on under the hat and you got headphones on. It's almost like you don't want people to see your head there.

[A]

Yeah. That tells you a little something about my personality. One is that when it comes to clothes, I'm kind of like, yeah, whatever, I'll wear it. I don't have, you know when somebody's really insisting and really says like we really want you to wear this hat. I'm like fine, I'll wear the.

[B]

Hat. Is this the largest hat you've ever acted.

[A]

In? I believe it.

[B]

Is.

[A]

Wow. I believe it.

[B]

Is. I'm going to test that theory.

[A]

A little bit later.

[B]

Ok? Ok. Just be prepared to test that theory. What I really wanted ask you about was Carl.

[A]

Sagan.

[B]

Yeah. Because Carl Sagan was still with us when this movie was made. I loved the book. I really, really loved the movie. And you got to work with.

[A]

Him. I did. He was a great man. And Andrea and his wife. It was an extraordinary thing. You know, he's a hero of mine, of all of ours. And he had written the original screenplay. He decided one day that he was gonna write a screenplay. He wrote the screenplay for Contact. It was terrible. So he said, now what am I gonna do? I guess I'll just write a book. So he wrote the book.

[B]

Afterwards. Oh, I didn't know.

[A]

That. And then years later, resurrect and said, now can somebody who can write a screenplay write a screenplay from my.

[B]

Book? It's a big year for you. You've got the new film that we're gonna talk about in a second here called Private Life. You have a role in this. The movie is all in.

[A]

French. Yes, it's a French movie. That's.

[B]

Right. It's a French movie. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Because they don't understand English over there. Whatever. We shoot the interview in.

[A]

French. Comme.

[B]

Tuva. Okay. Jodie.

[A]

Foster.

[B]

Oui. Ou. Et le.

[A]

Bibliotheque. Le bibliotheque. Et derriere les.

[B]

Toilettes. Ah, merci.

[A]

Merci.

[B]

Yeah. Okay, we have a clip here. First of all, how did it happen that you. Have you done films in French.

[A]

Before? I'd done a few, but only smaller parts. I did a little French movie when I was a kid, and then a couple of little small roles, but I always wanted to do something more.

[B]

Challenging. You speak a fair amount of French, and Elysium, too. I do, yeah. You.

[A]

Do? Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. Well, yeah. The real thing is, I have.

[B]

More knowledge of your career than you do at the.

[A]

Family. My character used to be a French person. I shot it that way. And then after the movie went to previews, they decided to change all.

[B]

That.

[A]

Wow. So that's why there's still a little bit of French left in the.

[B]

Film. Okay, this film. What's happening in this film? What.

[A]

About. Yeah, well, it's a. Well, it's about a psychiatrist who's an expat living in Paris, and she's a terrible psychiatrist, doesn't listen. And one of her patients commits suicide. She's told she commits suicide. She doesn't believe it, and so she goes off to investigate, and she decides that it's been a murder. So she kind of becomes an investigator. And as you realize through the course of the movie, she's really sort of investigating.

[B]

Herself. And this clip, can you tell who you're talking.

[A]

To? Oh, yeah, I have. You know, part of my family is in this and so one of my family members, of my character's family members is Danielle, a wonderful French actor. He plays my ex husband and I. I call on him to help me with this investigation of this murder. And as I start becoming weirder and weirder, we start having a little. Returning to have a little affair.

[B]

Together. Im. It. Really not.

[A]

Cool? Yeah, not.

[B]

Cool. Really not cool. What's it like? Are you. Is it different to act in French than to act in.

[A]

English? Well, mostly because I'm scared that I'm gonna make a mistake. So I feel like I have a different personality. In.

[B]

French. What is French Jodie Foster like.

[A]

She has a much higher voice, which I'm not sure why. I guess when I learned, I learned from ladies that had very high voices. And she's frustrated all the time and filled with anxiety and is a little vulnerable. That's kind of how it.

[C]

Works.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Yeah. Is that a pleasant.

[A]

Feeling? Yeah, I mean it's new and so, yeah, I'm working with.

[B]

It. What you've been performing for over 50 years?

[A]

60. Over.

[B]

60. Over 60 years, yeah. Wow. Okay. Didn't want to take that decade away from you. Sorry about that. Is that so you've performed under so many different circumstances and so many different films and different projects. How is a French crew different than like say a Hollywood or an American.

[A]

Crew? They smoke more and it's perfectly legal. Yes, yes, they do that. They drink wine at lunch. They have very delicious.

[B]

Food. How do you get anything done if you drink wine at.

[A]

Lunch? You don't. And then it's only an eight hour day. We usually do at least a 12 hour to 14 hour day, but they only have an eight hour.

[B]

Day. That sounds.

[A]

Fantastic. There's a lot of discussion. And then you cram the shooting into about 30.

[B]

Minutes. Do you remember, did you shoot this in.

[A]

Paris? Yes, we.

[B]

Did. Do you remember the first time you went to.

[A]

Paris? I think I was. Yeah, I think I was like 8 or 9. I went there to promote a movie when I was 8 or 9 with my.

[B]

Mom. Did you already speak.

[A]

French? I did not, but my mom gave me these little tapes. They had these little cassette tapes. Like Burlitz.

[B]

Exactly. Yeah, I did.

[A]

Those. Yeah. And you know, you'd say something like my car is red or whatever. So I listened to those tapes and then she made me order for her. Made me do everything actually, while I was.

[B]

There. Like you ordered all the food and.

[A]

Everything. Ordered all the food.

[B]

Yeah. Could you order anything fairly complicated for.

[A]

Yourself? I would only eat ham sandwiches. That was it. The whole trip. It was just like baguette ham sandwich. And I threw up at the end the last day. All over, just ham.

[B]

Sandwich. Pretty much all over everywhere. Mala le.

[A]

Estomak. Mala Lestoma.

[B]

Yes. That's the few things I learned in class. Mala la tetet. Mala Lagos. Mala la le stommac. We have to take a break. We'll be right back with more Jodie Foster. Everybody stick.

[C]

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[B]

Price. I'm here with the wonderful Jodie Foster. His new movie A Private Life is in theaters January 16th. Now let's get into the other. The other hat controversy.

[A]

Here. Oh.

[B]

No.

[A]

Okay. What other hat did I.

[B]

Wear? This is your most. Your first famous hat. This is Taxi.

[A]

Driver. That's.

[B]

True. I forgot about that one big hat 50 years ago. It's 50 years since the release of Taxi Driver. You were 13 when it premiered at.

[A]

Cannes.

[B]

Yep. Did you get to.

[A]

Go? Yeah, I went to Cannes. I went to Cannes. They didn't want me to go to Cannes, so they didn't pay for me to go. So we paid for ourselves to.

[B]

Go. You and your.

[A]

Mom? Yeah, because I spoke French and you know, I thought, we both thought like, oh, well, that'll be a great opportunity because you speak French. And while they Put me up in the hotel. But while I was there, Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese had, like, a moment of great paranoia because they weren't sure the movie was gonna be well received. It was quite violent, and they didn't know whether to get an X rating or whether anyone would like it. So once they'd done the press conference and the red steps, they never came out of their hotel.

[B]

Rooms. They just stayed there. They.

[A]

Left. Yeah, they got scared. They didn't come out of their hotel room. So I did all of the press for Taxi Driver. In French. It was just you? It was just.

[B]

Me. En Francais. That's.

[A]

Great. Yeah. They were like, what. What. What do you think the director's intention was? I don't.

[B]

Know. Here you are with. With Bobby D. Right there. There you are. A lot of screen time with De Niro. What was that like for you?

[A]

That's. I mean, so lucky. Yeah.

[B]

Extraordinary. I mean, you know, was it fun for.

[A]

You? Well, he's. He was not fun. He was Travis Bickle at the time. You know, he was in character. That's how he worked in the old days. And, you know, months and months of him driving taxis and, you know, moaning around New York City. So he didn't have a lot to say. But he kept picking me up and taking me to lunch and then running lines with me. And by the third time he did that, I was very.

[B]

Bored. So you're 12 years.

[A]

Old? Yeah, I was 12 years old. And he didn't say very much, so he would just run these lines with me. And then he took the time on the third day to really start and make me understand what improvisation was. And I will forever be grateful. I think the only reason that I'm an actor now is that Robert De Niro made me understand that it was deeper than what I had already been.

[B]

Doing. What did that give? What did actually the improvisation sort of light bulb go off for.

[A]

You? I think I thought when I was a kid, you know, when we talked about, like, oh, this could be your career, I thought, wait, I got a. Learn lines and then say them. That does not sound. That sounds like a dumb job. I didn't understand that there was more to the process. And once I realized that through Robert De Niro, because I was such a huge film fan, I thought, oh, this is what I want to.

[B]

Do. Well, Jody, thanks so much for being.

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Here. Thank.

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You. Lovely to see you. Yeah, you too. A Private Life is in theaters January 16th. Jodie Foster, everybody. Thank you for listening to the Late Show. Pod show with Stephen Colbert. Just one more thing. If you want to see more of me, come to The Late Show YouTube channel for more clips and.

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