With director Kevin Macdonald’s Guantanamo Bay drama The Mauritanian opening in select theaters this weekend, I recently got to speak with Jodie Foster about playing defense attorney Nancy Hollander in the film. Written by M.B. Traven, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani and based on the NY Times best-selling memoir “Guantánamo Diary” by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, the film tells the inspiring true story of Slahi’s fight for freedom after being detained and imprisoned without charge by the U.S. Government for years. Led by an incredible lead performance by Tahar Rahim (who was recently nominated for a Golden Globe), the movie also stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the military prosecutor trying to convict Slahi, Shailene Woodley as Foster’s associate lawyer, and Zachary Levi as a CIA agent. For more on the film watch the trailer or read Matt Goldberg’s review.

During the interview with Foster, she talked about why she’s so selective with the roles she takes on and what was it about The Mauritanian that got her to say yes, why Kevin Macdonald was the right filmmaker to tell Slahi’s story, how the iguanas on the base were treated better than the prisoners, and more. In addition, she shared a fun story about making David Fincher’s Panic Room, what she’s currently developing to direct, and we briefly talked about the ending of Robert ZemeckisContact and Carl Sagan.

Check out what she had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about followed by the official synopsis.

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Image via STXfilms

Jodie Foster:

  • Why is she so selective with the roles she takes on and what was it about The Mauritanian that got her to say yes?
  • What was it like working with director Kevin Macdonald and how he’s always trying to find the truth in the scene?
  • Since she has directed a number of things, what is she like on set? Does she always want to say something like I would have used a different lens?
  • How David Fincher asked her what she thought while filming a scene in Panic Room and what happened.
  • How the iguanas on the base were treated better than the prisoners.
  • What is she developing to direct?
  • The ending of Contact and Carl Sagan.

Here’s the official synopsis for The Mauritanian:

Two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster stars as Nancy Hollander, a defense attorney who takes on the case of Mohamedou Ould Slahi (Tahar Rahim), a Mauritanian man who stands accused of recruiting the terrorists who flew a plane into the World Trade Center on 9/11. Captured by the U.S. government, Mohamedou languishes in prison for years without charge or trial, nearly losing all hope until he finds allies in Nancy and her associate Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley). Together they face countless obstacles in a desperate pursuit for justice. Their controversial advocacy, along with evidence uncovered by formidable military prosecutor Lt. Colonel Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch), eventually reveals a shocking and far-reaching conspiracy.

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Image via STXfilms