The actress slash director has to stand by Mel Gibson - after all, her new film The Beaver stars him!

He's the "easiest, nicest person I've ever worked with" Jodie Foster tells the October 2010 issue of More Magazine. She goes on to say the following:

"The second I met him [working on Maverick in 1994], I said, 'I will love this man for the rest of my life.' When you love a friend, you don't abandon them when they are struggling. Of course, Mel is an undeniably gifted actor and director, and The Beaver is one of his most powerful and moving performances. But more importantly, he is and has been a true and loyal friend. I hope I can help him get through this dark moment."

Foster, who also directed, plays Gibson's wife in the film. Mel himself plays a man suffering from catatonic depression who starts communicating via a beaver puppet (in an Aussie-Cockney accent) on his hand.

Wonder if this movie will actually work!

Jodie Foster had a run-in at The Grove in Los Angeles with a minor who was taking her picture. However, her rep is denying that she assaulted the "young" photographer.

An LAPD police report, taken on May 29 at 1:50pm, gave the following description of the incident:

"Vict while at The Grove saw susp and began to take pics of susp with his camera then walked to the valet area of The Grove. Susp followed vict, poked him on his chest, grabbed vict by his left arm causing visible injury."

Online reports are claiming that the "17-year old", who was allegedly with his girlfriend at the time, saw Foster in the parking lot and took her picture. That's when she allegedly pushed and shoved him leaving scratches and bruises on his arm.

Foster's rep tells X17online exclusively:

"The young man was most definitely a professional paparazzi. He had a large camera bag and a 1000 mm telephoto lens. He tailed Jodie and her young sons from the movie theater to valet parking. He crowded her and her children and took photos of them the whole time. She touched him on the elbow in an attempt to take him aside to talk to him and tell him to stop. He scared the kids."

The LAPD media relations department confirms to X17online that a misdemeanor battery report was taken against Jodie Foster, but they refused to elaborate on the incident. However they did tell us that there will be "no further investigation" into the matter.

This isn't the first time Jodie has gotten testy with photographers -- several years ago the actress completely lost it when one photog snapped pictures of her out and about in Los Angeles, and though there weren't assault or battery charges filed, the lensman certainly got one heck of a verbal smackdown!

Arguably the most talented living actress (next to Meryl Streep, of course), Jodie Foster made a rare appearance at Koi in West Hollywood on Tuesday night... and check out how spectacular she looked!

We know the 45-year-old has always been healthy, but not Madonna healthy! Kudos to the starlet for maintaining herself so well.

Haven't seen this one in a while!

Acclaimed actress Jodie Foster was out with her two boys, Charles and Kit, in Hollywood on Monday. But where's Cydney? Or is that really over?

Whatever was going on, or is going on, in Jodie's personal life, she's always been a good mom and that's good enough for us!

Uh, she certainly looks fine!

Jodie Foster appeared to be perfectly happy when we spotted her in the BH yesterday, despite the fact that she recently split from longtime girlfriend Cydney Bernard.

So nice to know you're moving on, I guess?

Extraordinary actress Jodie Foster is off promoting her latest flick, Nim's Island (co-starring Abigail Breslin), in Rome! Here she is during the day, looking comfortably chic...

And here she is at night leaving the luxurious Hotel de Russie near the Spanish Steps...

Boy, that dress is quite a knockout! Jodie still knows how to work it for her age!

There's too much talent bustin' out of these photos!

Jodie Foster poses with the new Dakota Fanning, Little Miss Sunshine's Abigail Breslin, at the Four Season's Hotel yesterday. And while we wish it was just because they had a picnic there together, it's really because they're promoting their upcoming film Nim's Island.

It'll be a nice change seeing Jodie - once a child star herself - in a fun family flick as opposed to kicking ass in a revenge thriller!

The Academy Award-winning actress has long refused to talk about her love life...but has that all changed?

According to the Daily Mail, Jodie has acknowledged her longtime partner, Cydney Bernard (pictured above with Jodie and her kids) in an awards acceptance speech earlier this week.

She apparently thanked "my beautiful Cydney who sticks with me through all the rotten and the bliss."

Has The Accused star finally fingered herself as a lesbian? Or will there be a denial issued later?