Jodie Foster praises Greta Gerwig and ‘Barbie’ for changing Hollywood’s attitude toward women directors

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jodie Foster, the Oscar-winning actress and director, has lauded Greta Gerwig for her smash hit 'Barbie,' which she said has helped break the glass ceiling for women directors in Hollywood.

She said the $1.4 billion success of the movie proves that women directors are no longer a risk now for Hollywood 

Jodie Foster says Warner Bros gave Gerwig the keys to the Kingdom

Foster, who has been in the business since the 1960s, said she saw a significant shift in Hollywood’s perception of women and other marginalized voices over the years as per Variety. 

“I’ve had the beauty of being able to be in the business since the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and so on,” Foster said.

“The progression or bettering of our audiences translates into a kind of new thinking about who our marginalized voices are. In the old days, they saw women as a risk. Not sure why they saw us as a risk — 50% of the population! That thinking has changed now."

"With a big success like ‘Barbie,’ they gave Greta Gerwig, who had made two mostly independent films, they gave her the keys to the kingdom and said ‘We’re going to give you our most important child’ and all the money to support it. That’s new for women. I hope that continues.”

Foster supports a short film about non-binary artist Alok Vaid-Menon

Foster is also in Sundance to support the short film 'Alok,' directed by her wife Alex Hedison.

The film "is a compelling portrait of Alok Vaid-Menon, acclaimed nonbinary author, poet, comedian, and public speaker,"  according to the Sundance website.

“I met Alok and was immediately taken by the way they express themselves,” Hedison said about her decision to tackle the movie.

“The message, their extraordinary mind, and heart and spirit. Right away, I asked if I could start following you with a camera. I imposed myself on you.”

Foster is also starring in the fourth season of HBO’s acclaimed series 'True Detective,' titled 'True Detective: Night Country.'

She plays a detective who investigates a murder case involving an Indigenous Alaskan woman. She is joined by Kali Reis, a boxer-turned-actor, who plays her partner.