Jodie Foster reflects on struggles in her 50s as she acknowledges '60 as the best shift of all'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jodie Foster has opened up on her time during her 50s. The legendary actress spoke with 'Past Lives' star Greta Lee for Interview magazine. 

In their discussion, Foster, who included Lee in her 2016 film 'Money Monster,' shared insights into her challenges during her 50s and discussed her current outlook at the age of 61.

"I think it’s an age thing because I felt these huge shifts the day I turned 30 and the day I turned 60. And 60 was the best shift of all because I was struggling in my 50s," Foster said after Lee, 40, referred to "ascribing to this idea of being a somewhat tortured artist" to her early career.

Foster described her 50s as an 'awkward phase'

Foster, who became famous as a child star, recalled wondering whether she would "do anything meaningful again" in her 50s and described "that awkward phase where everybody who’s in their late 40s or 50s is very busy getting all plumped and shooting s--- into their face."

"I didn’t want that life," she said, "but I also knew that I couldn’t compete with my old self. So my 50s were tough."

Foster expressed, "Something shifted when I hit 60," revealing, "I figured it out. This is good."

Explaining further, she shared, "There was something about returning to work with a different attitude, about truly relishing in supporting others."

"I told myself, 'This is not my time. I had my time. Now, it's their time, and I get to contribute by sharing whatever wisdom I have.'"

The two-time Oscar winner stars alongside Annette Bening in the new film 'Nyad,' a biopic of marathon swimmer Diana Nyad, on Netflix. Foster is also in the upcoming season of HBO's 'True Detective: Night Country.'

"Somehow it’s so much more satisfying to be a part of a team that’s doing something awesome than it is to be all on your own trying to jump up that hill and make something out of nothing while everybody’s like, 'Is it going to open well?'" Foster said in the Interview article.

"And the pressure I had being a leading lady? Gosh, it all disappears the minute you say, 'No.' It’s shocking how great that is."

Foster says working in entertainment is 'more fun now'

Foster mentioned that she currently finds working in entertainment "more enjoyable than it has been, especially in the last 20 years." Surprisingly, she admitted to feeling more at ease in her role as a director than as an actor.

"I think maybe if I have one regret in my career, it’s that I wasn’t able to make more movies as a director, but I’m really proud of the films that I made," she said. "They weren’t these gigantic hits, but they’re really personal stories that mean a lot to me."