| Jodie Foster Last week, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour interviewed Jodie Foster and Kali Reis, stars of True Detective: Night Country, HBO’s anthology crime series. A Hollywood legend, Jodie Foster has been acting in movies since she was a child, winning numerous awards during a career that has spanned over 50 years. Conversely, her partner on this show, newcomer Kali Reis, is a professional boxing champion and only started acting in 2023. True Detective is her first major film. During the interview, Jodie revealed that the writers originally intended the show to focus on Jodie’s character. But, as Jodie shared, “I wanted to put Kali’s character’s story front and center to allow the central voice of the film to be an indigenous voice. So I reverse-engineered my character to support Kali’s character’s journey.” Surprised, Christiane said, “That doesn’t happen very often.” Jodie reflected confidently, “A funny thing happened when I turned 60: I realized that it’s so much more fun and more satisfying to recognize that it’s not my time; it’s someone else’s time.” When Christiane asked Kali about Jodie’s mentoring, Kali laughed, “Working with Jodie Foster is like training with Mike Tyson in his prime.” LaChanze Sapp-Gooding During the interview, LaChanze highlighted the lack of diversity not on the stage but behind the stage – at the Broadway decision-making table. Wanting to impact change, she stepped off the stage last year to become a Broadway producer. Her first project was Kimberly Akimbo. LaChanze explained, “It’s important for people like me who have the access, who have the exposure, who have the relationships to leverage our positions to support young people who want to come into our business.” Smiling playfully, she continued, “Some people will protest, ‘Well, I don’t know any black female lighting designers.’ And as a black producer, I can say, ‘Let me show you where they are.’” Moving the Limelight Mentoring is about rooting for people. And, as you progress in your career, mentoring involves adjusting the (proverbial and literal) spotlight onto the talent you see so that others can see it too. © 2024. Ann Tardy and MentorLead. www.mentorlead.com. All Rights Reserved. ps. Have you registered yet for our 2024-Q1 complimentary webinar? |