Straight women, were/are you aware that Jodie Foster is gay?

my loving well-meaning mother will occasionally make slightly clumsy attempts to bring up gay films or famous gay women that she assumes I must be interested in because they are also gay

This is a weird combo of sweet, cute and annoying lol

Anyway a talented lady, apparently a smart lady ... and someone who survived & thrived child stardom. Kudos

I thought it was suspected and then she sort of confirmed it, then she was openly married to a woman and had a family together.

As an aside, I found it really funny to see her expression when Greg Davies was on Graham Norton at the same time as her and was telling an anecdote which included the background that his Mum did all his washing (as an adult, while he was teaching) .... Maybe it was my interpretation but her expression seemed almost savage lol. I thought she was disgusted and she tried to stay neutral looking but it leaked out through her eyes 😂

Guessed last night when watching something on tv as she looks and acts like a man!

@Creatureofhabit87 Really?? Some lesbians are butch but it's not compulsory/a dead giveaway.

Ah ok, maybe that's partly where I've got the idea from that they were the same person :) Both pics I posted are actually julianne apparently lol!

Yes I knew

What????

That's very sad for you. She's a truly wonderful actor and you are seriously missing out if you are unaware of her oeuvre and not just trying to sound clever somehow

Interesting, Julianne played Clarice in Hannibal.

If you only think of Jodi in Silence of the Lambs then I think they do look similar- or at least a slightly older Julianne looks like Clarice might look as she got older.

Plus both have reddish hair, first name starts with J, and have starred in some psychological thrillers :)

Guessed last night when watching something on tv as she looks and acts like a man!

I think for those who identify as LGB, it is often very relevant. This is because we so rarely see/saw openly gay people represented. It's becoming more common now but many people born in the 70s/80s will have seen it as rare. It's still rare to have out exclusively lesbian actresses.

I think you have nailed it.

Known for ages, and I think they have two sons? Why does it matter?

So really you just wanted a thread to lecture straight women and make lots of assumptions about them.

Nice.

Not voting because I wouldn't say "yawn" either way, but yes, I have known for years. I don't think I've ever seen one of her films, either.

From OP's original post:

"YABU - I know, I’ve known for ages, yawn

YANBU - I didn’t know, or didn’t know until very recently, but anyway, yawn"

The word "yawn" in both options the OP offered rather suggests an assumption that we didn't care, regardless of whether we knew or not. So, not that strange that posters should comment on it...

Yes, it seems like i've always know that she was a lesbian. She feels like one of the old timers, if you know what I mean, like Ellen.

Strange people on this thread, the OP was asking if everyone knew Jodie was gay, not if anyone cared.

Jodie Foster and Meryl Streep are both very attractive, if not conventionally beautiful. It's because they have such open faces that are so watchable, perfect for a good actress in my opinion.

She's a good actress, so yeah, I'd expect to not have much clue about her real world personality, accent, preferences, opinions, etc. Because she's a good actress...

I'm not a film buff, but I'm shocked by this. She's been in loads of films and has been famous since she was a teenager. She also doesn't look like Julianne Moore really.

Silence of the lambs - Clarice . Seminal role. Fragile & composed hunting the serial killer

Who?

I would hope that there are more role models for young women these days but back then, there weren't.
Anne Heche had an awful time of it when Six days, seven nights came out.
It is an important topic and an interesting one, simply because in this day the freedoms that straight people take for granted ought to be the case for all but clearly still aren't.
You ought to not feel you have to be closeted in order to be considered for different roles. Similarly, you shouldn't feel the need to announce it - straight people don't.
In a film landscape where you had straight actors "playing gay for pay" (Eric Stonestreet) or being lauded for taking on a gay role (Tom Hanks), it's unsurprising that now many directors/producers (Ryan Murphy) want gay actors in gay roles.
Acting - however - is acting; in theory, you ought to be able to take on any role.
Conflict comes with appropriation, "jewface" recently (Helen Mirren, Bradley Cooper), trans roles by non-trans actors.
Actors themselves don't want to be sidelined or put in a box. Rupert Everett was vocal on this.

I mentioned Andrew Scott upthread as he recently said the phrase "openly gay" should be put to bed.
Andrew has been a tour de force in his ability to take on any role and character, gay or straight. His own sexual preference plays no part in how credible his characters are - charisma, chemistry, attractiveness, bloody good acting - his career thus far has been diverse and interesting.
It's a shame that others are restricted, pigeon-holed, warned by agents to keep shtum and often labelled when they do speak out/show up on the red carpet with a same-sex partner.
Visibility and representation make a huge difference to vulnerable teens though. Layton Williams, Olly Alexander, Sam Smith, Billy Porter, Lil Nas X, Todrick Hall.
I'm sure there are some famous young lesbians out there too (Nicola Adams, Jojo Siwa) bisexual or non-binary (Cara Delevingne, Bella Ramsey) but I don't know whether I could name as many. Whether this is progress (they don't feel the need to as society is more accepting) or plus ca change (those in the public eye remain closeted because of fears of impact on careers), I don't know. Hannah Gadsby has talked about the lack of representation growing up. Perhaps our kids' generation don't need it as much with the different labels flying around but that's a different thread in itself - whether it's more socially acceptable/easier to come out as trans or bi than gay.

Such an important point. Fame & prosperity confer advantage and privilege not routinely available to non star gay folk.