Jodie Foster is a two-time Oscar winner and now an Emmy winner, but to her kids, she's simply a dedicated mom full of life advice.
The mom of two won her first Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a limited or anthology series or movie for her role in "True Detective: Night Country" at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 15. In her acceptance speech, she publicly shared advice for her two sons, Charlie and Kit.
After recognizing the Inupiat and Inuit people of Northern Alaska, who she said "just told us their stories and they allowed us to listen" in collaboration for the series, she added, "It was love, love, love -- and when you feel that, something amazing happens. It's deep and wonderful, and it's older than this place in this time. That's just the message, which is 'love and work equals art.' To my boys, Charlie and Kit, remember that."
The actress, who is married to artist and filmmaker Alexandra Hedison, told ABC News' Lara Spencer backstage at the Emmys that it is "rewarding" for her as a mom to see her sons grow into their adult lives.
"They're at that time in their life -- I have a 23-year-old and a 26-year-old -- that's so rewarding for me, because everything seems to be a step forward, even when they have heartbreak in their work and in their careers," she said. "But I think they're starting to really love life and find the joy in doing something meaningful, you know? And they want to be a part of something meaningful, and that sort of spiritual impulse is what really makes great art."
Here is what to know about Jodie Foster's two sons, whom she welcomed with her former partner, Cydney Bernard.
Jodie Foster's eldest son, Charlie Foster, was born July 20, 1998.
He is now an actor, according to his mom, who told Spencer that he is preparing to film his first independent movie.
Emmys 2024: Jodie Foster and Alexandra Hedison and more couples walk red carpetJodie Foster has previously described her eldest son as "super-charming" and "super-spontaneous."
When her kids were younger, the "Silence of the Lambs" star said she did not want them to know she was an actress.
"I didn't want them to know about my celebrity at all. I remember when my son [Charlie] was about 4, he thought I was a construction worker," she told Net-a-Porter in 2018.
Describing why her sons thought she worked in construction, Jodie Foster said in a 2016 interview with Magic Radio, "Occasionally they would come to the set and they'd see guys with hammers and tool belts and stuff, and I think they thought I was in construction."
Kit Foster was born Sept. 29, 2001.
While his older brother chose to follow in their mom's acting footsteps, Kit Foster is a scientist.
Jodie Foster told Spencer at the 2024 Emmys that she "doesn't understand anything he says."
Even from an early age, the actress described her younger son in interviews as a "hyper-focused scientist."
Emmy Awards 2024: Complete winners listShe said in 2016 that she waited "many years" to show Kit Foster her movie "Silence of the Lambs" because she knew he was a "little sensitive."
The Oscar winner said she hesitated for years to show her sons any of her acting work at all, because she didn't want them to know her as an actress.
"They didn't know what I did for a living," she told Magic Radio, adding, "I didn't really understand why I did that, but now I understand."
She continued, "I didn't want them to know me that way. I just wanted them to know me as their mom who went away and did a job that she loved. I didn't really want them to know my persona. As they've gotten older, I think they can handle it a bit better."
