Martin Scorsese addresses casting 12-year-old Jodie Foster for intense ‘Taxi Driver’ role
Jodie Foster, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader attended a ‘Taxi Driver’ screening and Q&A at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival (Getty)
Martin Scorsese, Jodie Foster, Robert De Niro, and screenwriter Paul Schrader reunited at the Tribeca Film Festival to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their classic film, Taxi Driver.
Scorsese recalled casting 12-year-old Jodie Foster due to her mature and authoritative approach when discussing the film’s heavy adult material, including her role as a child sex worker.
Foster, who worked as a child actor from the age of three, said that she might have seemed unusually professional for her age because after years of starring in Disney movies and commercials, she had already become used to being on set.
Foster shared that she was starstruck by Scorsese and her co-stars, having admired their previous work, and learned improvisation from De Niro, which profoundly influenced her acting career.
Both Jodie Foster and Robert De Niro received Academy Award nominations for their performances in Taxi Driver.
