Martin Scorsese shares why he trusted young Jodie Foster with 'Taxi Driver'

Martin Scorsese has spilled the beans on what convinced him to cast then-child star Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver (1976) for a very sensitive role of a child sex worker Iris.

The veteran filmmaker, 83, reunited with now 63-year-old Foster, Robert De Niro and screenwriter Paul Schrader during a panel at the Tribeca Film Festival, celebrating the movie’s 50th anniversary. During the discussion, Scorsese recalled meeting Foster many years ago when she was a child actor aged only 12.

“She had an authority,” Scorsese recalled of Foster's grip on the character before production began.

The American director recalled that Foster had arrived at his Manhattan office in her school uniform and calmly discussed the filming process and the challenging subject matter surrounding her role as child sex worker Iris.

Foster also reflected on her experience working on the film, explaining that by that stage she had already spent years acting in commercials and Disney productions.

“I probably remember more than everybody because I was just watching and listening,” she told the audience.

The actress also revisited previous comments about how both Scorsese and De Niro seemed nervous while filming scenes involving the movie’s mature themes.

She recalled moments where the pair would break into laughter while discussing uncomfortable scenes, including one sequence involving her character and De Niro’s Travis Bickle.

Despite the intense material, Foster said she felt excited to work with filmmakers she already admired growing up.

“I was just lucky to be there,” she said, adding that watching Mean Streets as a child made her eager to collaborate with Scorsese.

Foster also credited De Niro for teaching her improvisation during filming—a lesson she said later transformed the way she approached acting throughout her career.