Overview
- Foster recounted the story on Nov. 30 during a tribute conversation at the Marrakech Film Festival.
- She said De Niro stayed in character off set, making their first lunches feel quiet and “really uninteresting.”
- By a third lunch, he guided her through improvisation, which showed her the importance of building a character.
- Foster remembered telling her mother she’d had an “epiphany,” saying the moment reshaped how she approached acting.
- Reflecting on child stardom, she said she would not have chosen to act, called it a “cruel job,” and now reaches out to young performers because the work can be dangerous.