Jodie Foster Secures First Oscar Nod in Almost 30 Years; Sets New Record for LGBTQ Nominations

As one of the most lauded actresses in Hollywood, it is hard to believe that Jodie Foster has just secured her first Oscar nomination in almost 30 years. The two-time Oscar winner has been nominated in four of the six decades she has been in the industry, but her inclusion in the 2024 Academy Awards nomination list for her supporting role in Nyad is surprising for being her only nod of this century.

Foster, whose career began as a child actress with an undeniable talent that was well ahead of her years, proved that she could stand up alongside Hollywood’s elite at the age of just 15. Her breakthrough role in Taxi Driver in 1976 earned her a first Oscar nomination at the 1977 Academy Awards, which gave everyone an idea of what was to come from the actress in the future. Foster’s portrayal of a rape survivor in The Accused 12 years later won her a Best Actress Oscar, and she solidified her place in Hollywood royalty with another win for 1991 movie, The Silence of the Lambs, where she delivered an iconic performance as FBI trainee Clarice Starling.

Since her subsequent Oscar nomination for 1995’s Nell, Foster has focused a lot of her attention on directing, with select acting roles scattered in between. Foster’s portrayal of Bonnie Stoll in Nyad, alongside Annette Bening in the titular role of swimmer Diane Nyad, who made multiple attempts to swim the Straits of Florida, has finally brought her back to the attention of the Academy after 29 years. However, she faces some strong competition in the Best Supporting Actress category from Oppenheimer’s Emily Blunt, Danielle Brooks for The Color Purple, America Ferrera for Barbie and The Holdovers’ Da’Vine Joy Randolph.

Foster’s nomination also marks a significant moment for LGBTQ representation at the awards. Along with Colman Domingo, who is nominated in the Best Actor category for his role in Rustin, her nomination makes this the first time two openly LGBTQ actors have been nominated for playing LGBTQ characters.

While we will soon learn whether Foster will take home her third Oscar in a few months, there is also a strong chance that she could be in line to claim her first Emmy Award for her role in HBO’s True Detective: Night Country. Having been previously nominated for the TV movie The Baby Dance in 1999, and for directing an episode of Orange is the New Black in 2014, Night Country is Foster’s first lead in a TV series, and has been gaining her plenty of plaudits.

True Detective has failed to reach the heights of its original 2014 season, with its second and third seasons failing to connect with audiences or critics. Night Country has delivered some of the best reviews of the franchise thanks to its dark mystery drama, and in no small part to its award-worthy cast.