Jodie Foster Encounters Static

By Stephen M. Silverman

Tuesday July 14, 1998 12:00 AM EDT

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Yahoo Buzz
• E-mail

Jodie Foster is no stranger to controversy. Her last film, "Anna and the King," ticked off officials in Thailand, who opposed its view of the country (when it was still called Siam). Now the Oscar winner, 37, is reportedly upsetting a legendary controversial figure in her own right: Hitler's favorite filmmaker, Leni Riefenstahl. The German moviemaker, who is now 98, reportedly wants to block Foster's current attempt to produce and star in a movie of Riefenstahl's life. Besides her films, which confirm her contribution to the Third Reich, Riefenstahl has been accused over the years as having been Hitler's mistress, a claim she has steadfastly denied. Foster's publicist, Pat Kingsley, saying that whether or not the movie moves ahead depends upon the final script, told the New York Post: "If Jodie does the film -- and there is a script being written -- she's doing it without the involvement of Leni Riefenstahl."