Taxi Driver: How Jodie Foster’s Sister Helped Her Film Controversial Scenes

Los Angeles: When Jodie Foster starred in Taxi Driver at just 12 years old, her family played a key role in helping her take on the challenging part.

Foster portrayed Iris, a teenage prostitute, in the 1976 film directed by Martin Scorsese. Because of her young age, certain scenes raised concerns with education officials responsible for approving child actors’ work permits.

Why a Body Double Was Needed

Foster recently explained on the Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend podcast that the Board of Education became cautious about young actors taking on adult-themed roles. Officials worried that playing mature characters could affect how children saw themselves.

As a result, the Board would not approve Foster’s work permit unless specific conditions were met. The production agreed to use a body double for scenes considered “sexually suggestive.”

That’s when Foster’s mother suggested a practical solution — casting Jodie’s older sister, Connie Foster, as the stand-in. Connie was over 18 and close in size and appearance to Jodie, making her a natural fit.

Scenes in Question

The scenes included moments where Iris strips below her shoulders and unzips a fly. Looking back, Foster has said she did not consider the scenes “very suggestive.”

In a 2011 interview with The New York Times, Connie Foster said she was comfortable stepping in for her sister. She recalled thinking Jodie looked “all grown up” on set, despite their seven-year age difference.

Connie added that the wardrobe reflected what a young girl in Iris’s situation might have worn at the time. “If anything, it was Halloween, and we were dressed up,” she said.

A Family Affair on Set

Foster described having her sister on set as “nice,” though working together was normal for their show business family. Her brother had also acted as a child, making film sets feel like a shared family experience.

Taxi Driver went on to become one of the most influential films of the 1970s and remains a landmark in American cinema. Foster later won two Academy Awards, including one for her role in The Silence of the Lambs.

Today, Foster’s reflections offer new insight into how filmmakers navigated child actor protections during a time when Hollywood standards were evolving.