Jodie Foster’s harsh Gen Z confession: ‘They’re really annoying’

'They’re really annoying, especially in the workplace.' Photo / AP

Jodie Foster says Generation Z can be “really annoying” to work with.

Although the 61-year-old actress advocates for the younger generation and does a lot of mentoring, she admitted she still finds Gen Z, usually referred to as those born between 1997 and 2012, frustrating to work with.

She told The Guardian newspaper: “They’re really annoying, especially in the workplace. They’re like, ‘Nah, I’m not feeling it today, I’m gonna come in at 10.30am.’ Or, like, in emails, I’ll tell them this is all grammatically incorrect, did you not check your spelling? And they’re like, ‘Why would I do that, isn’t that kind of limiting?’”

Despite her irritation with some members of Gen Z, Foster has a close relationship with many, including non-binary star Bella Ramsey, 20, who Foster asked to introduce her at the Elle magazine Women in Hollywood celebration.

She explained: “I reached out to Bella, because we’d never met, and said, ‘I want you to introduce me at this thing’, which is a wonderful event about actors and people in the movies, but is also very much a fashion thing. Which means it’s determining who represents us.

“They are very proud of themselves because they’ve got every ethnicity, and I’m like, yeah, but all the attendees are still wearing heels and eyelashes. There are other ways of being a woman, and it’s really important for people to see that. And Bella, who gave the best speech, was wearing the most perfect suit, beautifully tailored, and a middle parting and no makeup.

Bella Ramsey and Jodie Foster attends ELLE's Women in Hollywood Celebration at Nya Studios in December in Los Angeles. Photo / Getty Images

“I do a lot of reaching out to young actresses. I’m compelled. Because it was hard growing up.”

And Foster, who has two sons, Kit and Charles, in their 20s with her ex-partner, film producer Cydney Bernard, also spoke about challenging gender stereotypes in her own family.

The star, who is now married to Alexandra Hedison, said: “My two don’t like sports. They like to watch movies and sit at home, and they’re really into their female friends. They’re super feminist. There was a moment with my older one when he was in high school, when, because he was raised by two women – three women – it was like he was trying to figure out what it was to be a boy.

“And he watched television and came to the conclusion... I understand. I need to be [terrible] to women...

“And I was like: ‘No. That’s not what it is to be a man! That’s what our culture has been selling you for all this time.’”