Jodie Foster, the Oscar-winning actress and director, has long been a citizen of the world, with a career that spans continents and languages. But now, at 62, the Hollywood icon is reportedly taking a bold step: eyeing a luxurious mansion in Paris and planning to relocate permanently to France. The news comes on the heels of Foster’s triumphant return to French cinema with Rebecca Zlotowski’s A Private Life (Vie Privée), which premiered at the 78th Cannes Film Festival last week, earning a 10-minute standing ovation. In recent interviews, Foster has expressed a growing desire to live outside the United States, citing Europe’s vibrant film industry and her newfound freedom as an empty nester. As she prepares for this next chapter, Foster’s potential move to Paris signals a profound shift in her personal and professional life—one that has fans buzzing with excitement and curiosity.
A Lifelong Love for France
Foster’s connection to France is nothing new. Fluent in French since her childhood, she attended the Lycée Français de Los Angeles and has often spoken about her deep affinity for the language and culture. Over the years, she has appeared in several Gallic productions, including Stop Calling Me Baby! (1977), The Blood of Others (1984), and A Very Long Engagement (2004). But her role in A Private Life, where she plays a Parisian psychiatrist investigating a patient’s death, marks her first leading French-language role in two decades—and a significant return to her European roots. At Cannes, Foster told Reuters on May 22, “I prefer to be outside the United States right now,” citing better conditions in Europe’s film industry and the freedom she feels now that her two sons, Charles and Kit, are grown and living independently.
This isn’t the first time Foster has hinted at a desire to leave the US. Her career has always been marked by a European sensibility, often choosing roles that challenge her rather than chasing blockbuster fame. In A Private Life, she embodies Dr. Lilian Steiner, a character grappling with personal and professional turmoil, delivering nearly all her lines in French—a language she describes as both familiar and daunting. “I think I’m a different person in French than I am in English—I’m a much lighter person in French. I’m not as confident. I’m a little more vulnerable,” she shared at Cannes, as reported by WomanMagazine. This vulnerability, paired with her impeccable French, has earned her widespread praise, with festivalgoers on X noting, “Jodie Foster est incroyable avec un français si parfait” (“Jodie Foster is incredible with such perfect French”).
Foster’s decision to move to Paris aligns with her long-standing admiration for the city. During the making of A Private Life, she spent a month in Paris with Zlotowski, walking the city “the European way” and visiting renowned female psychiatrists to research her role, as Zlotowski told Deadline on May 22. “I fell in love with Paris all over again,” Foster said at a Cannes press conference, describing how the city’s blend of history, art, and intellectual freedom resonated with her. For an actress who has always valued privacy—refusing to discuss her personal life publicly until coming out at the 2013 Golden Globes—Paris offers a sanctuary where she can live more freely, away from the relentless scrutiny of Hollywood.
The Mansion: A Parisian Dream
According to sources close to Foster, she has set her sights on a luxurious mansion in Paris’s 16th arrondissement, a prestigious neighborhood known for its grand architecture, tree-lined streets, and proximity to cultural landmarks like the Musée Marmottan Monet and the Bois de Boulogne. The property, a 19th-century hôtel particulier, spans 8,000 square feet and boasts six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a private courtyard, and a rooftop terrace with panoramic views of the Eiffel Tower. Valued at €18 million (approximately $20 million), the mansion features original parquet floors, ornate moldings, and a modernized kitchen, blending historical charm with contemporary comfort.
The estate’s design echoes the aesthetic of Foster’s previous homes, which have often prioritized privacy and elegance. In 2019, she sold her Beverly Hills mansion for $14.9 million, a 7,500-square-foot traditional home she purchased in 2012 for $11.75 million, as reported by Mansion Global. That property, with its French doors, lush gardens, and sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, reflected Foster’s taste for spaces that seamlessly connect indoor and outdoor living. The Paris mansion offers a similar vibe, with a secluded courtyard for quiet mornings and a terrace perfect for entertaining guests under the Parisian sky. “Jodie has always been drawn to homes that feel like a retreat,” a source shared. “This mansion in Paris is exactly that—a place where she can create, reflect, and just be.”
Foster’s real estate history suggests she’s no stranger to strategic moves. In 2020, she sold a Spanish Revival-style home in Calabasas, California, for $2.85 million, a property she had bought with her late mother, Evelyn, in 2005 for $2.26 million, according to Architectural Digest. She also sold a Hollywood Hills mansion in 2014 for $5.75 million after slashing the price from $6.4 million, a home she had owned since 1995, as reported by the Daily Mail. Each sale marked a transition in her life—whether moving closer to her children during their school years or downsizing after her mother’s passing. Now, with her sons grown, Foster appears ready to embrace a new chapter in a city that has always held a special place in her heart.
A Shift in Priorities
Foster’s potential move to Paris comes at a time of personal and professional transformation. With her children now independent, she has more freedom to pursue projects that align with her passions. “My kids are grown, and I’m at a point where I can focus on what I want to do, not just what I need to do,” she told Reuters at Cannes. This newfound freedom has coincided with a renewed interest in European cinema, particularly in France, where she feels filmmakers have more creative control. “Blending genres, like Rebecca Zlotowski does in A Private Life, is very uncommon in the U.S.,” she said. “Studios want a film to be either a thriller or a comedy—they don’t want a mixture of the two. That’s the reason why filmmakers love to come here.”
Foster also highlighted the opportunities for female directors in Europe, a perspective informed by her own experience behind the camera. “I’d only worked with one female director until a few years ago,” she noted, referencing her 60-film career. “Isn’t that kind of amazing? After I’ve made 60 movies that I’ve barely ever worked with another woman?” Working with Zlotowski, a director she has praised for her meticulous approach, was a revelation. “I knew then that Rebecca was someone who took her work very seriously; that she had specific ideas for every aspect of the film,” Foster told Festival de Cannes on May 20. The collaboration not only reinvigorated her love for French cinema but also solidified her desire to immerse herself in the European film scene.
Living in Paris would allow Foster to deepen her involvement in projects like A Private Life, which has been hailed as a triumph. The film, a psychological thriller with elements of comedy and drama, follows Foster’s character, Lilian Steiner, as she investigates a patient’s death, uncovering layers of guilt and past lives through hypnosis. Critics have praised Foster’s performance, with Variety noting on May 21 that it’s “a thrill to see Foster navigating a fully bilingual role,” and The Hollywood Reporter highlighting her “spiky vitality and unexpected playfulness.” The film’s success at Cannes, where it premiered to a 10-minute standing ovation, has sparked rumors of a potential Oscar nomination for Foster, her first since 1994’s Nell.
A New Chapter in Paris
If Foster does move to Paris, it would mark a significant shift in her life—one that aligns with her evolving priorities. Her net worth, estimated at $100 million by Celebrity Net Worth in 2012, gives her the financial freedom to make such a move, and her recent real estate sales suggest she’s been preparing for a change. The Paris mansion, with its blend of luxury and privacy, offers the perfect setting for Foster to write, direct, and perhaps even explore new roles in French cinema. “Jodie has always been a private person, but she’s also a collaborator,” a source shared. “Paris gives her the best of both worlds—a place to create without the Hollywood spotlight.”
Fans have reacted with enthusiasm to the news, flooding social media with support. On X, one user wrote, “Jodie Foster moving to Paris is so on-brand—she’s always been more European at heart!” Another commented, “Can’t wait to see what she does next in French cinema. A Private Life was incredible!” The move also resonates with Foster’s personal journey as a child star who navigated fame with grace, graduating from Yale University despite being stalked by a crazed fan, John Hinckley Jr., who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981 to impress her. Now, decades later, she’s choosing a life that prioritizes her passions over the expectations of Hollywood.
As Foster eyes this luxurious mansion in Paris, she’s not just buying a home—she’s embracing a lifestyle that reflects her deepest values. Whether walking the streets of the 16th arrondissement, sipping coffee at a local café, or collaborating with French filmmakers, Foster is poised to live the life she’s always dreamed of—one filled with art, authenticity, and the freedom to be herself. For an actress who has spent her life transforming through her roles, this move to Paris may be her most profound transformation yet.
