Jodie Foster & Tahar Rahim on the True Story Behind ‘The Mauritanian’

Jodie Foster is starring in her first movie in three years, the legal drama “The Mauritanian”!

“Extra’s” Jenn Lahmers caught up with Jodie and her co-star Tahar Rahim to discuss the post-9/11 film about a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay.

Jodie said of choosing the role, “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve sort of worked less and I’m a little pickier — if that’s possible. I’m a little pickier than I used to be… I just like to make movies that I care about and feel meaningful to me.”

This one certainly has meaning, with Jodie starring in the true story about lawyer Nancy Hollander defending suspected 9/11 terrorist Mohamedou Ould Slahi (Rahim).

Jodie said, “The real Nancy Hollander is sort of an extraordinary hero in the American justice system… She believes her mission is to defend people whether they are guilty or not, as per the Constitution.”

Tahar was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role playing the suspected hijacking recruiter Slahi, who was held in Guantanamo Bay for 14 years without official charges. He was also subjected to torturous interrogation techniques.

Rahim said of preparing for the role, “I wore real wore cuffs. I asked them to waterboard for real… That helped me, obviously, to convey… authentic feelings and emotions.”

The real Nancy and Mohamedou also visited the set. Jodi said, “Mohamedou, when he walked on set for Guantanamo and everything looked exactly the way it did at the time… it was difficult. I think it took his breath away a little bit.”

Jenn also asked Foster about her “Silence of the Lambs” reunion with co-star Anthony Hopkins. Jodie shared, “He’s such a wonderful man. Just great memories of making ‘Silence of the Lambs’… I’m always very proud of that film.”