This article originally appeared in the December 1982 issue of Esquire when Jodie Foster, 20, was a junior at Yale. The previous spring and summer she worked as an intern at Esquire, which coincided with John Hinkley’s trial for attempting to assassinate President Reagan. There, he revealed his obsession with Foster and confessed that he shot the president to impress her. At the end of the summer, Foster wrote the following essay. “Why Me?” is a frank and gracefully written attempt at coming to grips with the bizarre and difficult events of the past few years of her life. It remains an invaluable account of an unfathomable situation. You can find every Esquire story ever published at Esquire Classic. My brothers and sisters called me Load because of the extraordinary capacity of my diapers. Apart from that fact and a few distinguishing details here and there, my vision of myself was pretty average. Not average so-so; just average … bacon and eggs, Volkswagens, southern California sun. Sometimes, though, I look back at my life, at the way it has slowly assumed shape and color, at the places I’ve seen and the flickers of people I’ve met, and wonder, Why? Why me? Why, when the lists were made and the heads counted, was I always chosen? Why did I always find the chocolate basket on Easter morning? Mostly the applause felt good; damn wonderful, even. Esquire’s December 1982 cover.Esquire To this day I still redden and warm when someone compliments my… Click below to read the full story from Esquire
Read More
John Hinkley Jr. Shot President Reagan to Impress Jodie Foster. She Wrote Her Only Response for Esquire.
