Jodie Foster Made True Detective's Writers Take a U-Turn with Her Character

Summary

• True Detective is returning for a new season after a five-year hiatus.
• The actress didn't like the original version of her character.
• The changes suggested by Foster help to better flesh out the show's other main character.

Since its premiere in 2014, True Detective has been one of the most popular crime shows. The anthology series, which follows various detectives investigating mysterious crimes, has had a fascinating journey on the air, as it has only run for four seasons over the course of a decade.

The latest, fourth installment of True Detective was released just a few days ago and has been making waves ever since. Set in Alaska, it follows Chief Liz Danvers and Trooper Evangeline Navarro, portrayed by Jodie Foster and Kali Reis respectively, as they try to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of eight scientists from the local research station. Perhaps you won't be surprised to learn that a star of Foster's caliber has changed the direction of the entire show.

Jodie Foster Instantly Had a Different Vision of Her Character

In a recent interview, the beloved actress revealed that while working on True Detective was an 'easy yes' for her, she had some doubts about her character as it was originally written. As a result, she suggested serious changes to the writers.

'I went and met with the director, Issa Lopez, who's the showrunner and wrote all the episodes. And she just had such an incredible vision for the show that I just couldn't do anything but jump on board. Well, I did change a character a bit. The character, initially, was much younger and she was, you know, fresh from grief and was kind of a mess and very emotional. And I thought, "No." So, she [my version] really is awful. Yeah, my Liz Danvers is awful. We call her Alaska Karen,' Jodie Foster shared.

Foster's Motivation to Change the Character

While it may seem like the antics of a diva, Jodie Foster had a very noble reason for making changes to her character. It helped the writers better tell her co-star's story.

'You grow to love her [Liz] despite her charade, in some ways. The most important thing was, I kind of configured the character to support the central character, who's an indigenous woman, [played by] Kali Reis – amazing actress, [who] used to be a fighter, is a boxer still, four-time world champion. And it really is her story. So I just wanted to be able to kind of support that and I kind of reverse-engineered my person,' Foster said.

Season 4 of True Detective, subtitled Night Country, is currently airing on HBO. Episode 2 is scheduled to premiere on January 21.

Source: YouTube.