One is a former child actor who was nominated for an Oscar at age 14 for Taxi Driver; the other was nominated at 10 for Little Miss Sunshine. But when Jodie Foster, 45, and Abigail Breslin, 11, teamed up for the adventure film Nim’s Island—about a neurotic1 author who travel halfway around the world to help a little girl find her missing father—they learned they had even more in common. The two sat down to chat about their similarities and the strange world of child actors.
Q: Did you see a little of yourself in Abigail?
Foster: When Abigail first came, she’s a city kid just like I am. We both like Chinese food, and we like going to the movies and, you know, walking in New York. She’s a real city kid and, even in my life, I grew up with just my mom and my mom didn’t like bugs and didn’t like dirt or anything. So we never went camping. I’m not sure [Abigail] had ever just dived into the ocean.
So just things like that—to be able to start the movie and wonder how that was going to be. And then to watch Abigail just kind of blossom and turn into this little wild thing with matted2 hair and diving into the waves and picking up bugs. It was great.
Abigail: Oh yeah, I did pick up bugs. I picked up those worms in that one scene, which was not fun.
Q: Were you remembering your own early acting days, watching her?
Foster: Because I started when I was 3 years old, we’ve lived very similar lifestyles. Traveling around with our parents, kind of like a gypsy, where you go to a new town or a new country. You kind of get the lay of the land3 and you’re in your hotel room. That’s a life that I just have so much fondness for. I felt like I learned so much, and it gave me so many opportunities that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. So we’ve kind of lived that same life.
And also just the life of doing something as a professional. You have a real task, and you have to get up at 5 in the morning. You have to learn your lines and there are things that you have to accomplish, and yet within that there’s such spontaneity4 and fun. The combination of those two, I think, those are things that we’ve really shared together.
Abigail: What I like doing is being a different person. Every character is kind of different. So being able to be that person and then when you leave you’re yourself again. So it’s kind of weird5 to be like two different people, and I think that’s kind of fun.
Q: Abigail, what did you learn about acting from watching Jodie?
Abigail: My mom always told me the best way to learn is to watch and kind of learn from people. So that’s what, watching her so believe the character that she is when she is doing it, it kind of helped me be Nim, because I was watching how much she believed that she is Alexandra.
Foster: I don’t think Abby needs much mentoring6. She’s got a great head on her shoulders. It would be a big mistake if she were thinking about her career. The tough time is adolescence7. I never want to be 15 again—that was rotten. I wouldn’t want to go back there and be in the public eye.
Q: During filming, did you two compare notes8 about being child stars?
Foster: Everybody asks us that because it’s odd for everybody. People remember me when I was your age and assume that must be a topic of conversation. I don’t think we ever mentioned it.
Abigail: We talked about movies, food and TV. And the Dog Whisperer9! My dog needs a dog whisperer.
Q: Jodie, you went to Yale. Abigail, do you want to go to college?
Abigail: Yeah, I don’t want to have a career until after college. I either want to do this or be a veterinarian10.
Foster: College is the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. I never tell my kids, “You need an education.” I always say,“Don’t miss out, because you’ll never have more fun.”
Q: One theme in the film is overcoming fear, so what are your biggest fears?
Abigail: I’m really afraid of heights, but getting on the zip line [a pulley11 suspended12 below a cable; gravity pulls rider downhill] like 10 times [for several scenes in Nim’s], I’m not as afraid as I was.
Foster: I don’t like snakes. Of course, Abigail didn’t tell me there were death adder13 snakes on Hinchinbrook Island [where Nim’s was shot] until like three days ago.
Abigail: It’s probably good you didn’t know.
Foster: I would have been running in the other direction! When I was a kid, my brothers and sisters used to [tease] me and go,“There are snakes in your bed!” I’m still traumatized14.
一位是14岁就凭《出租车司机》而获奥斯卡提名的前童星，一位是10岁就由《阳光小美女》获奥斯卡提名的小女孩。但是，当现年45岁的朱迪·福斯特与11岁的阿比吉尔·布莱斯林同台飙戏，联袂出演历险片《尼姆岛》时（该片讲的是一位神经质作家跑遍半个世界帮助一个小女孩寻找失踪父亲的故事），她们才发现两人共同之处多着呢！现在两个人有功夫坐下来聊聊她们的共同点，及身为童星的特殊经历……
问：您有没有从阿比吉尔身上看到一点自己的影子？
福斯特：阿比吉尔刚来的时候是个城里孩子，像我一样。我们都喜欢中国菜、都爱看电影、喜欢在纽约漫步。她是个真正的城里人；至于我，我是单亲妈妈带大的，妈妈不喜欢小虫子、不喜欢任何脏东西。因此，我们从没去露营。我不知道（阿比吉尔）以前有没跳进海里游过泳。
这类经历在电影一开始就要体会，我很想搞清楚是什么滋味。后来看见阿比吉尔成长起来，她变成了野小子——头发乱成一团、一头扎进浪花里、捡小虫子——很好玩。
阿比吉尔：噢，是的，我确实捡过小虫。有个镜头我抓起那些虫子——可是不好玩。
问：看到她的表演，您是否想起了自己早期的演艺生涯？
福斯特：因为我从3岁就开始拍片，所以我俩生活方式十分相似。跟父母一起周游世界，有点像吉普赛人似的生活，每天去的都是陌生的城镇或是国家。刚搞清一点状况，就住进了酒店。这样的生活我很喜欢。感觉长了很多见识，感觉撞上好多机会——换成其他方式，门都没有！所以，我和她的生活方式几乎一个样。
同样，我俩都是职业演员。工作一点儿不能含糊，早晨5点就得起床。你必须记住台词，必须完成某些任务。不过，这中间有许多即兴发挥，也有好多乐趣。这两点结合起来，我觉得是我和她真正共同的地方。
阿比吉尔：我喜欢演与我自己不一样的人。每个角色都不同。演完了那个角色，回到生活中，你又是你自己。同时做两个不同的人，这有点儿怪怪的，也挺有意思的。
问：阿比吉尔，从朱迪的表演中你学到了什么？
阿比吉尔：妈妈总是告诉我：最好的学习方式就是观察别人、向别人学习。所以就这样——看她表演的时候那么投入，认为自己就是片中人物，这对我演尼姆有很大帮助。我观察着她：她演亚历山德拉时完全相信自己就是亚历山德拉。
福斯特：我认为阿比不需要太多指导。她很有头脑。现在要让她老想着演艺事业，那是个大错。青春期是最难熬的一段时间。我再也不想回到15岁的时候——我的那段时光枯萎了。我不想回去，不想成为媒体的焦点。
问：拍片期间，你俩有没有交流过成为童星的经历？
福斯特：大家都问这个问题，每个人都很好奇。人们记得我像你这么大时候的事，觉得那一定是个值得一谈的话题。我们好像从没提过这回事啊！
阿比吉尔：我们聊电影、美食和电视。还有电影《训狗师凯撒》！我的狗需要狗语者。
问：朱迪，你上过耶鲁。阿比吉尔，你想上大学吗？
阿比吉尔：嗯，我想读完大学再开始演艺事业。大学毕业后我要么继续从事演艺事业，要么做兽医。
福斯特：大学是我一生最有趣的日子。我从没跟我的孩子们说过“你们需要受教育”之类的话。我挂在嘴边的是：“千万别错过大学，因为将来永远不会这么有趣了。”
问：片中有一个主题是克服恐惧，那你们最害怕的是什么？
阿比吉尔：我非常怕高，但是铁索飞渡（滑车悬挂在缆绳下，重力牵引着你滑下山）了大概10次后（《尼姆岛》中有很多此类镜头），不像原来那么怕了。
福斯特：我不喜欢蛇。自然地，直到大约3天前，阿比吉尔才告诉我辛奇布鲁克岛（《尼姆岛》拍摄地）上有致命毒蛇！
阿比吉尔：幸好你不知道！
福斯特：要是知道，我会掉头就跑！小时候，我的兄弟姐妹们捉弄我时总是说：“你床上有蛇！”想起来还是后怕！
1. neurotic adj. 神经质的
2. matted adj. 结成一团的
3. get the lay of the land 了解情况
4. spontaneity n. 即兴发挥
5. weird adj. 怪异的
6. mentor v. 教导，指导
7. adolescence n. 青少年（期）
8. compare notes 交换意见
9. 狗语者，指可以跟狗沟通的人。
10. veterinarian n. 兽医
11. pulley n. 滑车
12. suspend v. 悬挂
13. death adder 致命毒蛇
14. traumatize v. 使受创伤
15. scrublands n. 灌木丛
16. cue v. 示意
17. flipper n. 鳍状肢
18. wing v. 飞行
19. pelican n. 鹈鹕
20. bulky adj. 沉重的
21. cuddle v. 拥着，抱着
22. snooze v. 假寐,打盹儿
23. pup n. 幼兽
24. forage v. 搜寻
25. scooter n. 单脚滑行车
26. styrofoam n. 塑料泡沫
27. choppy adj. 波涛起伏的