Jodie Foster told Robert Downey Jr. she was 'scared of what happens to you next' amid his addiction struggles

foxnews.com:

Jodie Foster recalled telling Robert Downey Jr. she feared for his future amid his struggles with addiction in the 1990s. During an interview with Esquire, the 61-year-old actress reflected on directing the 59-year-old actor in the 1995 Thanksgiving comedy-drama "Home for the Holidays." At the time, Downey was battling substance abuse problems that later led to multiple arrests on drug-related charges. "I took him aside at one point during filming and said, ‘Look, I couldn’t be more grateful for what you’ve given in this film.

But I’m scared of what happens to you next. Right now, you are incredibly good at balancing on the barstool. But it’s really precarious, and I’m not sure how that’s going to end,'" the two-time Oscar winner remembered.

Foster told the outlet she took a chance on casting Downey for her sophomore directorial project because she believed in his talent and his ability to overcome his addiction. "What was so interesting about him then was what a genius he was.There was more creativity in his little finger than I will ever have in my whole life, but he did not have the discipline," "The Silence of the Lambs" star said. "He was so out there that all of that wonderful talent was kind of just, like, flailing his arms in the water and making a big mess. "But it was in there somewhere, right?

Because now he is somebody who’s become disciplined almost as a way of surviving." Foster hired Mel Gibson to star in her 2011 film "The Beaver" following his infamous 2006 DUI arrest during which he was recorded making antisemitic comments. "I have faith in people’s ability to change if they want it, and he really wanted it," Foster said of Downey.