Despite being in the business since she was a toddler, Jodie Foster is known for being one of the most private actresses out there. When she accepted a lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globes Sunday night, she started frenetically and with rapid-fire jokes, but suddenly, she took a turn for a serious, making her first public confession about her personal life. Though there had been much speculation about her sexuality, the star had never stepped out and publicly said anything about her sexual orientation. And suddenly, tumbling out of her mouth, was a speech that was a surprisingly heartfelt, provocative discussion about the lives of the real people behind the celebrity faces we know. (Do you remember her convincing, sympathetic speech in defense of her close friend Kristen Stewart?)
It's one of the more powerful speeches we've seen since Halle Berry took the world by storm at the Oscars in '02. While so many child stars have seen their lives ruined by fame at an early age, Jodie Foster has somehow managed to be a role model for all of us, in Hollywood and anywhere else. Amidst the tears of many an audience member (Emily Deschanel, Anne Hathaway, Kate Hudson, to name a few) and honest thanks to family, cast, and crew, Foster dropped a number of moving one-liners. One of our faves? "If you'd had to fight for a life that felt honest and real above all odds, maybe you'd value privacy above all else."
We have so much respect for this woman, who reminds us all that the people in those paparazzi photos are really people. Here's to hoping the next generation of actresses follows in her footsteps.
Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment.