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

[MNUse]

Been mildly curious about this for a while. I’m a gay woman and 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 (e.g. Ellen Page as was). But she has never mentioned Jodie Foster, and although I haven’t tested it I get the impression she isn’t aware, maybe partly because although JF is now ten years married to a woman she has never quite made the big ‘I am gay’ speech.

AIBU to think a lot of straight women still haven’t really noticed that Jodie Foster is gay? And, if I’m wrong, when did you become aware?

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

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

OBVIOUSLY what matters is her acting, but I am mildly curious about what causes someone’s gayness to register/not register with the wider public

I've known for years, 10+ probably. She's married to a woman and doesn't hide it.

This. The only time I would care about someone's sexual preferences would be if I was looking for a sexual partner. Apart from that its like whether they like tea or coffee.

Fabulous actor, if anyone hasn’t seen The Accused it’s an amazing film and worth watching, it’s brutal though.
I had no idea I actually have zero interest in any actors private lives.

Yes. It was already widely known way before she came out

Although, I should add, there's someone I know in person, and I was 100% convinced she was a lesbian. Turns out she's been married to a man for years. So not a lesbian. But part of me still thinks she is. And wishes she was 🤣

Why does it matter? Why does it need pointing out? I thought those days were gone?

Agreed. She is an amazing actor

I’m a straight woman and I’ve known for decades!

Yes, we're rumours about it at the time of silence of the lambs so was not surprised when she eventually came out.

I think that some actors/stars (mainly men) sexuality is part of their schtick. With some people it isn’t so you don’t really think about it.

Well for example if you’d read Emma Brockes’s most recent profile of her in The Guardian it’s mentioned that she is gay. There was a certain amount of mainstream press coverage in 2013 around the fact that she gave a speech saying she wasn’t going to come out as she’d already come out to the people who mattered to her years ago. Stuff like that that you might have come across even if you’re not a follower of celebrity news/don’t have gay friends or family who might mention it/don’t have gaydar.

Yes I knew she was gay and have known for a really long time. I've no idea when I because aware of it though.

She took edgier roles, but she was definitely attractive and the movie studio know that straight guys might go to see her in a movie for that reason alone, hence no discussion of her sexuality until 2013 (her career started in 1972)

I’ve known for years, like others I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know.

I don’t read celebrity stuff but I’ve known JF is gay for as long as I can remember noticing her as an adult. 🤷‍♀️And I don’t care, I hope she’s happy in her life which is what I hope for 99.9% of the world’s population (Putin, Tory politicians and my ex husband’s ex wife are exceptions)

I've known for a long time but not "always known". To be fair it was probably around the time i started noticing her as an actor (I'm a fair bit younger than her). Also loved her in Silence of the Lambs.

Particularly admire that, to my mind, she's a capital A 'Actor' rather than a capital C 'Celebrity'.

I completely understand that. I've been out with my DD and her girlfriend many times and honestly haven't saw anyone ever react to them. I fully appreciate you won't have had this experience. She's definitely aware that she's lucky to be living in these times. I'm truly sorry that you didn't get to experience that acceptance.

When she came out in 2013, I was still straight! But dud know she had made the speech and I wasn’t that surprised.

I find the obsession with who people are sexually attracted to really odd. Unless you’re hoping to date a person, it’s not relevant 🤷🏻‍♀️

Yes, I agree about the studios caring about money. And indeed, you may be right about the aesthetic value of Marvel movies, but many serious and talented actors do appear in popular franchises (Ian McKellen in LOtR and X-Men, or Maggie Smith in Harry Potter, for example) and presumably earn shitloads of money. And it would be good if that career option were equally available to openly gay actors as to straight people or closeted gay actors.

Booking a big franchise was a possibility for Ian McKellen, but (for whatever reason, sex or age or her not being as well established, or because he isn't called upon to play the male lead love interest at his age) less so for Kristen Stewart, who was advised to keep her sexuality low key to further her career. I think it was brave of her to say publicly that that had happened to her. Here's hoping that other young lesbian and gay actors won't have that said to them in the future.

Speaking of McKellen, I saw something in a book published in the 80s, can't remember what it was but it was saying that he was unable to play straight love interests as he didn't have sufficient warmth, and they put this down to his being gay! By that reasoning, Rock Hudson should have had insufficient warmth to play all the romantic hetero leads he played...

I don't remember ever finding out but I've never thought she was straight. 🤷

I think I see. You are saying there are degrees of not being selfish. So, Ms Foster isn't selfish for keeping her private life private, but she would be even less not selfish if she talked about it.

A person's sexuality doesn't have to define them. If she wants to be an superb actor who happens to be gay rather than a gay actor, that's fine. It doesn't make her any degree of selfish.

Likewise, it's not selfish to be unaffected (or to admit to being unaffected) by the sexuality of a person wholly unconnected to us.

What’s it got to do with ANYONE??

I wonder how many of the ‘who cares’ posts were written by posters who just saw the title of the thread, didn’t actually read my original post, and clicked ‘reply’ assuming I was a straight woman who had only just discovered JF is gay and was in a massive tizz about it. I guess that could explain some of the replies…