1980s: Transition to adult roles and The Accused
In 1981, Foster became a full-time student at Yale.[20](p 73–74)[58] She later said that going to college changed her thoughts about acting, which she had previously thought was an unintelligent profession. She now realized that "what I really wanted to do was to act and there was nothing stupid about it."[23][58] Although Foster prioritized college during these years, she continued making films on her summer vacations.[13] These were O'Hara's Wife (1982), the television film Svengali (1983), the John Irving adaptation The Hotel New Hampshire (1984), The Blood of Others (1984), and the period drama Mesmerized (1986), which she also co-produced.[59] None of them gained large audiences or critical appreciation, and after graduating from Yale in 1985, Foster struggled to find further acting work.[60][20](p 73–74)
Foster at the Governor's Ball after winning an Academy Award for The Accused (1988). Her performance as a rape survivor marked her breakthrough into adult roles.
Foster's first film after college, the neo-noir Siesta (1987), was a failure.[61][62] Her next project, the independent film Five Corners (1987), was better received. A moderate critical success, it earned Foster an Independent Spirit Award for her performance as a woman whose sexual assaulter returns to stalk her.[63][20](p 73–74)[64] The following year, Foster made her debut as a director with the episode "Do Not Open This Box" for the horror anthology series Tales from the Darkside,[65] and starred in the romantic drama Stealing Home (1988) opposite Mark Harmon. The film was a critical and commercial failure,[66] with Roger Ebert "wondering if any movie could possibly be that bad".[67]
Foster's breakthrough into adult roles came with her performance as a rape survivor in The Accused (1988).[61][60][20](p 73–74) Based on a real criminal case, the film focuses on the aftermath of a gang rape and its survivor's fight for justice in the face of victim
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