A change of pace film for Jodie Foster

In "Nim's Island," Jodie Foster puts down her guns and lets down her guard to play an author of adventure novels afraid of her own shadow, who decides to trek around the world to help a young girl (Abigail Breslin) on a deserted island when her father (Gerard Butler) becomes lost at sea.

After "The Brave One," "The Inside Man," "Flightplan" and "Panic Room," it was a giant change of pace for the veteran actress, who hadn't made a movie for young audiences since "Bugsy Malone," "Freaky Friday" and "Candleshoe" more than 30 years ago.

We spoke with Foster by phone from California.

DN: Did you finally decide to make a movie your kids could see? [Foster has two sons, ages 9 and 6.]

JF: Absolutely. But I was really looking forward to doing a lighter role and exploring that side of myself a little bit more, after having done a lot of dark dramas. And I like family movies. I have to see a lot of them, so I'd like to see a good one, too.

DN: Do you think boys will take to "Nim's"?

JF: I hope they go. I hope they're not put off by the fact that there's a girl protagonist. It seems like a dumb reason not to go see a movie, and it's very much themes that boys can relate to - living on a desert island, fixing things yourself and climbing volcanoes. It doesn't really matter that she's a girl, she could have easily been a male character, and it wouldn't have changed the movie one bit.

DN: Were you familiar with the book before you agreed to be in the film?

JF: No, but as a coincidence it happened to be on my son's reading list the summer that I was making the movie. So it was such a great experience, because he got to read the book and visualize me in it, and he got excited about it in ways that he wouldn't have otherwise.

DN: That's kind of not fair when he has to hand in his paper. Seems like he has a little bit of an edge.

JF: (Laughs) I know.

DN: You're around boys all the time, what was it like to work with Abigail?

JF: I've made a lot of movies with daughters. There's a lot about her that reminds me of when I was kid, a lot of gypsying around with my family, the relationships you have with the crew, her wonderful professionalism. She's very well-adjusted. Abigail was really born to be an actress, she has this amazing well of emotion that's so easy for her to tap into that I just did not have at her age.

DN: Is the agoraphobic, nervous Nelly character that you play closer to the real Jodie than the tough gals?

JF: No. The tough gals are definitely closer to me. It took a lot of effort to run like a spaz in this film. (Laughs) That was hard on me. I'm pretty sporty.

DN: You manage to do a good job staying out of the public eye. Would your own South Pacific island have appeal, or would that be too remote?

JF: I like visiting remote places but in nice hotels with good sheets and room service. I'm more of a city person. I like good coffee and magazine stands and that sort of stuff.

DN: Did they chopper some of that stuff in for you when you were on the island?

JF: (Laughs) No.

DN: You had to rough it?

JF: Yeah, kind of, but I loved every minute of it. The island itself is uninhabited - it's an enormous, 300-mile island with estuaries and rainforests and white sand beaches with not a soul anywhere except for this small eco-tourist lodge that's all treehouses. You had to walk up these treehouse steps, which I just loved - it's fantastic!

DN: And can people visit this island?

JF: Yes, but probably only 15 couples at a time.

DN: Do you have to be insanely wealthy?

JF: No, no, no, it's old-fashioned. It's great.

DN: And is it actually in the South Pacific?

JF: I don't think they consider it the South Pacific. It's just off the Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of northern Queensland, Australia. I'm not sure what they consider that.

DN: On another topic, McCain, Clinton, Obama - or nobody's business?

JF: Definitely nobody's business.

DN: Two years ago in Toronto, We talked about you directing a movie with Robert De Niro. What happened to that project?

JF: It fell apart. Universal decided to pull out their financing.

DN: Even you have trouble getting a movie financed?

JF: I make personal movies, so it's understandable. Personal movies are the highest risk category, and I'm a young director - I've only directed two movies. I can't say I'm unproven, because both the movies were on time and on budget and were not financial failures or anything, but I'm not a mainstream success yet as a director, so it's understandable that I would have a harder time getting something off the ground.

DN: Are you working on another directing project now?

JF: Yes.

DN: Also personal?

JF: Always.

DN: Would you like to direct a big, mainstream movie?

JF: I honestly wouldn't know how.

DN: But as an actress, you're so good at picking great mainstream movies to be in . . .

JF: My taste as a director and my taste as an actor are completely different. It's an interesting thing to understand the sides of yourself that you don't control. I'm a much better mainstream actress than I am an indie actress, for example. I love indie movies - I see them all and I always have - yet I'm much better making mainstream movies as an actor, because I'm a kind of plodding storyteller. I'm not as whimsical as an actor.

DN: So what's next?

JF: I have no idea. *