Jodie Foster's Emotional Golden Globes Speech

Jodie Foster, recipient of the Golden Globes 2013 Cecil Demille Life Time Achievement Award, had the audience in tears during her acceptance speech. Now 50 years old, Foster's career began when she was only three.

With a shakey voice near the beginning of her speech, Foster cued up a big announcement, which people long expected to be that she is a lesbian:

"I'm here being all confessional, and I just have a sudden urge to say something that I've never really been able to air in public, so a declaration that I'm a little nervous about, but maybe not as nervous as my publicist right now. Hi, Jennifer. But I'm just going to put it out there, loud and proud, right? So I'm going to need your support on this. I am... single."

....

"I hope that you're not too disappointed that there won't be a big coming-out speech tonight, because I already did my coming out about a thousand years ago back in the Stone Age, in those very quaint days, when a fragile young girl would open up to trusted friends and family and co-workers and then gradually, proudly to everyone who knew her to everyone she actually met,. "But now apparently, I'm told that every celebrity is expected to honor the details of their life with a press conference, a fragrance, and a prime time reality show. And you guys might be surprised, but I am not Honey Boo Boo Child. No, I'm sorry, that's just not me; it never was, and it never will be, but please don't cry because my reality show would be so boring."

Foster then talked about the challenges of being a public figure and maintaining a private life. She thanked her ex-partner and her two boys, who supported her during the speech.

Discussion Starters:

• What risks did Jodie Foster take in delivering this speech? What do you think were her fears?
• Why do you think she took as long as she did to come out publicly? Why did she choose this opportunity?