Okay, let’s have some fun today. A new moon cycle is upon us and I feel frisky.
So, in the video clips below there is one INTJ woman amongst all the other women. The other women (besides the INTJ woman) are all the same personality type. And these women are all famous actresses.
See if you can guess the following:
a. Which one of the women is the INTJ?
b. What is the personality type that all the remaining women share in common (or at least the personality type that you think I’m driving at).
See if you can see the overall continuum, even if you might not consider every one of the remaining women to be of the type I’m getting at.
Share in the comments and let’s see if we can get an interesting discussion going!
Jodie Foster
Heather Graham
Claire Danes
Gwyneth Paltrow
Cameron Diaz
Judy Davis
Jennifer Garner
Hillary Swank
Julia Stiles
So, whadya think?
a. Which women is the INTJ amongst these female actresses?
b. What is the Myers-Briggs type that is common to all the remaining female actresses?
And of course, why do you think that?
Briefly.
Judy is the intj, rest is Estp
Because, I can smell these evil fi polrs from a mile away >:)
polr = point of least resistance in the socionics system, which is the Russian equivalent of Myers-Briggs. I call this the superego function and so Infp6 is saying that they can detect the conspicuous absence or lack of Fi in everyone here but Judy Davis, which is probaly tantamount to calling all the remaining women a bunch of cold bitches.
Well I guess my post begets a similar reply : p very well put, it makes my mistake all the more painful
” evil fi polrs ”
Thought it said bipolars. What is polrs ? Is it something rude or technical or both ?
” polr = point of least resistance ”
Oh there
Hi Blake, I’d guess Judy Davis as INTJ (I think she has the most objective and theoretical way of speaking) and the rest are ISFPs (more self-centered, subjective, and “down to earth”) Although Cameron Diaz seems like an ENFP to me, extraverted and quick to talk about less tangible things like her philosophy on life in “the body book” video.
Hi Jordan, nice to hear from you đ Been awhile. I think it’s been since Stephen Colbert article actually.
So, you think Judy Davis is the INTJ and the type that the remaining women all share in common is ISFP. And ENFP in the case of Cameron Diaz. So, I assume you have assumed that I am shooting for a continuum of ISFP as that is the most logical type to you that all the remaining women would share, except Cameron Diaz. So, I’ll assume that you thought I had her included on the continuum of ISFP.
Judy Davis = INTJ (for you)
MB type that the remaining women share in common = ISFP approximately (for you)
Thanks! I still love this site – hoping to subscribe soon đ
Judy is for sure INTJ:):)
Jodie is way more STJ than Ni.
Can’t wait to figure out all the others. But takes time.
Jody Foster is an intj. I see introverted intuition in her. The rest I’m going with isfp. I’m choosing isfp instead of esfp because of Judy Davis. Although, I think Cameron Diaz is an enfp. She’s a whole different level of fun and free. All of the isfp’s have a smirky, flirty smile and they talk with their hands a lot. Although, I’m an infj and I talk with my hands. I would say isfp is really easy for me to pull off. Enfp is much harder for me because they seem more open and free. You know, extraverted feeling/Pisces sun I can be who you want me to be…at least for a little while.
OK, Jordan and INFP6 thinks Judy Davis is the INTJ and you think Jodie Foster is. Though you agree with Jordan that the remaining women would share the MB type of ISFP (more or less), and also that Cameron Diaz is an ENFP.
Why don’t you and Jordan argue about the INTJ thing. Who is more INTJ – Jody Foster or Judy Davis?
I think Jody Foster is an ISFP because she’s very laid-back in those interviews, in a way that I think is characteristic of auxiliary Se. The confidence comes from dominant Fi.
I think Judy Davis is a little more rigid and more assertive which makes me think aux. Te. Judy leans forward a lot in her interviews and seems like she’s investing a lot more of herself than Jody.
I see Ni in Jody, too, but I see it more in Judy, mostly from the way she talks and what she talks about.
Jody has always seemed wise beyond her years. The words she uses in these clips, I’m paraphrasing, in reference to playing Clarice, you have to be complete and honorable to them physically,emotionally and intellectually. She also says you have show vulnerability, intelligence and strength. How many 16 year old sensing people know they need to find a boyfriend that understands their business. No offense to isfp’s but most of them at 16 were cheerleaders and dated the guy with the coolest car. There’s no way I can look at the Claire Danes clip when she was 17 and at the Jody’s clip when she as 16 and see them as the same personality. Throw in Jody’s very impressive academic work and just an intuitive essence I see in her. Judy, weeelllll. When I see her look off into space, I don’t see that as an intuitive person seeing the inner vision….it’s more like she’s a very poor communicator searching for the right word. She seems to be offering commentary or opinion not a deep understanding and not an intuitive knowing. She’s just lacking an intuitive depth. She’s more animated with her hands and facial expressions. I don’t really know any intj’s but I would guess they’re not very free with bodily expression. But what the hell do I know.
I’m really impressed with Jody at 17 (and beyond), too! You can tell she’s someone who sees through the superficial and has a very grounded sense of life. This sense doesn’t seem very boundary pushing though, like with INTJs. I’d say the wisdom comes from Tertiary Ni – I think it’s definitely rare for someone so young to have that kind of sensibility and sense of self but I don’t think it’s impossible, especially for an Fi-dom who I think automatically values individuality and separating from the herd: all of which can lead to her seeing herself as separate from her peers i.e. not going through the same troubles that they did; not being silly over boys. An ISFP girl I knew from high school has this same wise streak that I see in Jody, but, as I see in Jody, it tends to be applied to more practical subjects whereas INTJ Ni “wisdom” is more high-brow and theoretically applied. I wouldn’t classify the intuitive sense and vision for a character you’re playing, as Jody demonstrates, as Ni-dominant specific.
My mom is an INTJ and she has mannerisms of speaking similar to Judy: speaking with her hands, pausing to find the right word. Actually, the offering a commentary and opinion like you say Judy does, and really dissecting and probing topics is how I see Ni manifesting in INTJs. I think because the Ni comes out through Te, Judy appears more assertive by talking with her hands and being more deliberate I guess. I’m with you on INTJs not being very free with bodily expression, but as an aid to verbal expression I think they can be animated.
I think being a successful actress since the age of 3 and a 16 year old American attending a French school that offers only college level courses is pushing boundaries. Jody Foster has always seemed like an adult even whe she was a child. I feel like she doesn’t just view a character from the outside or sense a character she embodies the character. She becomes the character. She doesn’t replicate or reproduce a copy of that character. I didn’t see or hear Judy Davis dissect anything. I’m not saying that intj’s don’t do that, I’m just not seeing it in Judy Davis.
Okay, Michelle, I’m officially team Jody Foster for INTJ haha. I see what you’re saying now about Judy’s mannerisms. Judy does this thing where she king of blushes and looks down and seems uncomfortable which isn’t an INTJ thing. Plus I went to my mom to get an INTJ’s opinion and she also thinks that, out of the two, Foster is the INTJ lol. She thought Judy Davis seemed a little too eccentric. Typing is not my thing evidently!
Jordan, welcome to team Jodie. Hope it’s the right choice.
Jodie Foster all the way INTJ.
I mean this with love–she is overly confident (1979 video), says school was easy for her (intelligent academically), looks up to intelligent, strong women but admires a sensitive, vulnerable man (NF type). She dresses plainly in a no-muss-no-fuss manner, did not have emotional struggles growing up. She did not have any romantic prospects and spoke about a romantic relationship in a very practical manner in that a man has to respect her business first and foremost.
You say Foster dresses in no-fuss manner in the 1979 video, but, in the other video she is dressed in a business suit. Yes, her overall demeanor does seem to be very cavalier and confident. She seems to slouch back and not to care too much for appearing upright.
Is it a trait of INTJ to dress in a no-fuss manner or in a business suit?
Her suit is quite wrinkled and as plain as you can get in a suit simply by throwing on a jacket. It’s professional, practical and doing the bare minimum. Her hair is also not dolled up in either video.
I will maybe listen eventually to all to the interviews, but right now I have a feeling that all the ladies except Judy Davis are INFJ – because you gloat over INFJs, and they are all shinny for the camera. Judy Davis does not like her hair and she is oblique, if that makes any sense… but I am no expert and I did not give it much thought. Just went with the gut feeling. It feels like playing the lottery đ
So, you think Judy Davis is the INTJ then? And the reason you give is that she is rather oblique in her communication. Yes, I agree, she is rather oblique in her communication. So, I guess you are saying obliquity equals INTJ? Is that an Ni dominant thing you are attributing that too because…
you go on to say that the MB type that the rest of the women would share is INFJ and INFJs are Ni dominants too. So, would Judy Davis’s obliquity come from something other than Ni dominance?
Jodie Foster is certainly INTJ and the other actresses are ESFPs. Very light, charming, kind, attracted to sensual mysticism (yoga), sexy but not threatening, classy and overall very attractive ladies.
But I’m not sure if Judy Davies fits any of these types. She doesn’t strike me as an ESFP, and neither an INTJ. In fact, I don’t have a solid guess, but ESFP and INTJ are excluded for me. I’ve never met a female ISTJ (or I’ve never bothered to spot them), so I don’t know how it would look, but I’m thinking that she have those heavy ISTPs eyes. That’s her type, I think, but it’s a tough one. The other ones are ESFPs for sure.
I agree, it’s hard to see Judy Davis as an isfp. She certainly is atypical of that type.
Jodie Foster is certainly INTJ and the other actresses are ESFPs.
Ha! I just got a mental image of an almost naked Judy Davis riding (ESFP) Miley Cyrus’s wrecking ball. Thanks for making my weekend!
I first went through and labeled each woman based on what I remember of them, before looking at the videos. I went with either a “warm” or “cerebral” label.
So, from memory, I labeled them:
Jodie Foster = cerebral
Heather Graham = warm
Claire Danes = cerebral
Gwyneth Paltrow = warm
Cameron Diaz = warm
Judy Davis = cerebral
Jennifer Garner = warm
Hillary Swank = warm
Julia Stiles = cerebral
However, then I took a look at the videos. I realized that for Claire Danes and Julia Stiles, I was going off of the impression I have of them from their roles. And upon observing them in the videos, it is apparent that they are more physically expressive, and “warm” than I would’ve anticipated. I think something that makes them sound cerebral is the lower register of their voice (although they are intelligent people, regardless.)
I am then left with both Jodie Foster and Judy Davis as “cerebral” and I don’t feel like I would rule either of them out. I don’t know that austere is quite the word to describe these two women, but it seems like they are having a conversation with themselves in the presence of another.
The body language is similar, in that Jodie Foster puts her index finger to her temple, and Judy Davis puts her hand to her chin/index finger to her face as well. They appear contemplative. So, introspection (Ni) manifested outward in a highly articlate manner
Therefore, I would say that Jodie Foster and Judy Davis are both INTJs, and the rest of the women are ISFPs, as is mentioned previously. For all of the remaining women, this seems fitting because they all present a femininity that Foster and Davis seem to lack (although they have their own appeal, of course). And also, I think you can see the Se represented among them albeit in various ways. Graham, of course, is conventionally hot. Claire Danes has an earthiness to her. Gwyneth Paltrow has admitted to being a freak in the sheets, and is all about fitness. Both Garner and Stiles are classically trained dancers. Hillary Swank IS the Million Dollar Baby. So, feminine core of Fi with a concrete physical manifestation of there sensuality as Se. Oh yeah, and Cameron Diaz. I see the ENFP.
That’s what I got.
Jodie Foster is the INTJ, and I can tell without even looking at the video. Her face: the sharp, angular features, the dispassionate, almost android countenance, and the general alien/robot vibe. It’s a crystalline beauty, Aquarius moon. Most Aquarius moons i’ve seen have very angular faces and a dry, dispassionate demeanor. See David Duchovny, Annie Clark.
The rest are ENFPs.
I think her jaw shows TE
” Itâs a crystalline beauty, Aquarius moon. ”
I’m going with this.
I was wrong! the others are ESFPs like the others are saying. Was being overconfident there. Why the fuss about ints and esfps? They are duals in socionics. Do you buy into that system at all?
In socionics, the ideal partner of a type is the one that has their dominant the same as the types inferior, Se for Intjs, and the same for the aux and tertiary – swapped around. Supposedly, when you meet your dual, at first they will seem plain and boring people, but upon getting to know them, the interaction Will be very comfortable and favour able for growing intimate relationships.
Hi Blake. Judy reminds me of Christopher Hitchens, but maybe this is just Englishness twatiness. She seems to know what other people think and what people think in other times, and also facts about her co-stars. She also is quite free with her thoughts, although she claims to need more emotional input I’m interpreting this as needing emotional direction. She’s also critical of her director. Her smiles closes off quickly. She also has one hell of a stare when she locks on.
The others I’m not so sure about but seem like Fs. I haven’t paid as much attention to them as Judy. SFPs?
Sidenote:
Judy has an angelic body while Diaz has an earthy body. Angelic bodies are more like poets, the earthies more entertainers.
The one thing that gets me though is the upright bodies of the others. They seem so stiff.
” Judy has an angelic body while Diaz has an earthy body. Angelic bodies are more like poets, the earthies more entertainers. ”
“The one thing that gets me though is the upright bodies of the others. They seem so stiff.”
They seem more physically grounded (earthies, duh). The thing you call angelic, as if one gets the impression their spirit could leave/detatch from their bodies but she also has a very earthy voice, I think that confuses me when trying to type her.
Blake said in his isfp article.
They kind of see themselves ultimately as some rogue that only belongs to themselves at the end of the day. They are not whiny about their ideals being broken like some NF type. They are just hard in a way. And yet very soft and weak.
Jordan said in regards to Jody Foster
I think itâs definitely rare for someone so young to have that kind of sensibility and sense of self but I donât think itâs impossible, especially for an Fi-dom who I think automatically values individuality and separating from the herd:
If we look at the other ladies clips and then look at Judy, I think it’s more obvious that Judy has moved from the herd. She certainly looks very different. I don’t mean because she’s older or less physically attractive. It goes beyond that. Her clothes are so plain, and her hair and make-up are disastrous, so much so it could seem rebellious against the hollywood type. That seems isfpish to me. Nothing about Jody says rebellion or rogue. She is not hollywood glamour but she not a complete mess either. There is a hard yet soft, weak way about Judy Davis……..I’m working through this right now. There is something about Judy that makes me a little uncomfortable when I watch her. It’s maybe some underlying pain inside her. Its hard to put my finger on it but it makes me feel empathetic some how. Like she knows she can’t be one of those beautiful actresses so she going to abandon that and be the complete opposite. No, not that she can’t be one of those people, she is making a choice not to participate, like Blake said above. Like one of the musicians Blake talked about in his isfp article leaving a band at the height of its popularity. I could see her being an isfp like that possibly.
Assuming the other women are isfp’s. I could see Heather Graham being an esfp and I’ve already said I think Cameron Diaz is an enfp. The others I can definatly see as isfp.
Could it be that the isfp you you see in Jody is actually your own projection?
Never mind, I mixed up the Jody and Judy. Now it makes sense
infp6 said
Could it be that the isfp you see in Judy is actually your own projection?
Well, yeah. I ask myself that like a thousand times a day about everything. After a 6 hour sleep here’s what I’m thinking. Maybe they are both intj and Blake is just fucking with us. After all, Jody Foster’s character in Silence of the Lambs is named Clarice Starling and Blake call us Starlings. Coincidence….Me thinks not. He’s probably at home enjoying his Fava beans and a nice chianti while he devours our souls!!!
I’ve never typed a celebrity before so I don’t know about any of this. I’m just guessing. If I have to choose which one is Ni dominant, I still think it’s Jody. Could I be mistaking Fi confidence for Ni knowing? Maybe, but I really listen to myself and which function is being activated while I’m observing or interacting with people. If i’m projecting my own Fi onto Judy by having an empathetic response… I’m inclined to believe she is activating the function in me that she is using. If I observe Ni being activated when I watch Jody then I believe she is using Ni. Here’s my belief about projection. We all do it, ALL the time. In order for us not to project we would have to transcend our personality. I have thought a lot about transcendence and what that means. When we start talking cognitive functions, we are talking about how our brains process information. We don’t transcend our brain function. We can make it stronger and develop our weaker functions so we perform at a higher level. I think we can transcend parts of our astrological birth chart and maybe even our enneagram personality type because they are patterns of behavior. Certainly we can change behavior. But we can’t change our functional stack. That’s what makes Myers briggs different. What does this have to do with Jody and Judy maybe nothing. I just think it’s an interesting conversation to have and when projection was brought into the conversation, it made me think about it. I still think if I observe a function being activated in me then the other person is using that function especially if I’m just observing. If i’m interacting with someone, then my projections can affect which function they are using because of transference/counter transference. Therefore I would be more open to projection being a factor in this if I were having a conversation with them. Again, I will say, I’m not an expert in any way.
I think Judy is far more beautiful than those actresses, like a classical beauty (lol funny how opinions differ), her style is the typical style of the types for the more avantgarde crowd of that era, which was also found in the cutting edge music scene, avantgarde film, and other, which is the opposite of “Nothing about Jody says rebellion or rogue”, imo. I think she exudes individuality, classic philosopher demeanor, cutting edge (for the time) avantgarde aesthetics, a kind of poetic, whatstheword, stoicism, now what types are like that ?
” After all, Jody Fosterâs character in Silence of the Lambs is named Clarice Starling and Blake call us Starlings. CoincidenceâŚ.Me thinks not. Heâs probably at home enjoying his Fava beans and a nice chianti while he devours our souls!!!”
chortling here
“It’s about having a moral agenda and having a place in which to serve that moral agenda.” Jody Foster, INTJ.
I’m unsure about the others (I don’t pretend to understand extroverts at all!) but I think ENFP. I get distinct, differentiated, self-assured Fi from most of them. In general they’re ‘vibing’ on their interviewers, sort of effortlessly curating their responses to keep the ball in the air, which to me says Ne-Fi rather than a more broadcasty Se-Fi.
Actually Heather Graham comes off to me as INFJish here, sort of like an INFJ on a whack of Prozac and in her element, successfully projecting excitement and fun but not quite covering up her interior monologue. Something about her language choice and the way she gets seized by images, too. Not saying she is one, but I’d certainly put her on one end of an arbitrary spectrum with Jennifer Garner at the other.
Heather Graham INFJishhhh???? What….
Could the moral agenda talk also be an ESTP talk (the code of a wolf?)? Ni gotta pop through time to time. Also…. did you see her slouch? That is a little of a push behavior wise. Se kinda pushes.
I am intrigued by the idea that Jodie is an ESTP now since Judy is the clear INTJ (TRUST ME!!!!!:):):))
Perhaps what we have is an INTJ and a bunch of extroverted sensors. Something is crystallizing here….. continuum…..
Newish reader here. This is a fun idea. I wanna play along! But, I see a rainbow of types. Here goes:
Jodie Foster: INTJ (smart, intimidating, control issues)
Heather Graham: ESFP (often plays women in the sex industry)
Claire Danes: ENTP (quick, silly Ne banter)
Gwyneth Paltrow: ISFJ (traditional, maternal, prissy)
Cameron Diaz: ENFP (fun! energy! but with more gravitas than ESFP)
Judy Davis: INFJ (knowing, slightly arrogant, emotionally articulate)
Jen Garner: ESFJ (gregarious, practical, proper and control issues)
Hilary Swank: ESTP (determined, measured, mastery of physical performances)
Julia Stiles: INTP (smart and kinda goofy, more humorous than INTJ)
I agree with you mazerunner.
I KNOW Jodie Foster is a T. She is smart, great at school, and loves challenges. I knew she was a T all my life, even before I knew I was an INFJ. I admired her all my life because of her T qualities, but in a tiny bitty way, I don’t like the lack of sensitivity…
The rest I don’t know.
I’ve always wondered about Cameron Diaz, though. Now that I am learning a bit more about types, I would def say she is an ExFx. I don’t think she is a T. Many Ts make fun of her “lack of intelligence” among her colleagues, and she is sensitive to it. Also, why didn’t she get married??? Most Ts get married in their 20s.
mwah
On second thought, Hilary Swank is ISTP. She is less talkative than ESTPs (the motormouths) and never goes into saleswoman mode. She is calm, poised, and confident but modest.
My vote:
Judy Davis is the INTJ. She has a slow, deliberative way of speaking that I find characteristic of this type. She also has the facial expressions, e.g. the death stare.
The rest are probably ENFPs, although I’m not sure about Julia Stiles. She could be ESFP. They are all far too comfortable in the limelight to be introverts, and most of them come across as natural and authentic while not having a huge amount of depth to them. Authentically superficial đ
Is there a prize for getting this right?
my vote too. Judy=INTJ. The others=ESTJ if they are truly all the same type. My final vote. this was way too much fun.
I take back what I said about Julia Styles. I think she’s also an enfp like the others. Her body language is much more ne-dom than se-dom.
Jodie Foster is without doubt the INTJ. For the rest I’m not sure, possibly ISFJ? But I also thought ENFP at first. Hm.
I think Jodie Foster is the INTJ. I was actually surprised if the others are all the same type. I have no idea what type they are.
And my reason is that she seems to SEE what she says, as well, as she is kind of neutral in expression, but there is an inner burn, and, she is articulate.
My only other guess for INTJ was Judy Davis. She kind of lasers her interviewers with her eyes. But she seems rather eccentric so she confuses me.
Judy’s uncomfortable laughter is notable. It makes me think she is not INTJ. What she is talking about doesn’t take precedence over her own feelings.
Could Jodi be ESTJ?
” What she is talking about doesnât take precedence over her own feelings. ”
Yes, I was thinking the same but wondering if I or E.
I think jodie as an estj fits! Hard to explain why though
Julia Stiles
After thinking more, I think that Jodi shows strong TE so ESTJ is also a possibility. So Judy could be a n INTJ but I did not see it. This is hard.
Jody Foster is the INTJ. She’s got the whole detached observer of the masses thing going on that INTJs excel at. Plus, you could see her enjoyment of having her academic achievements mentioned. She’s smart and she is proud to be recognised as smart.
The rest–my vote goes to your garden-variety, head-banging ENFPs. They want to be known for their breezy hipness and being ‘oh-so cool’ (take your pick–SJW, lifestyle guru, health and zen advisor, or how to butcher an Irish accent in 3 words), but they’re all hypocrites. When push comes to shove, they’d all get their knickers in a serious twist if their housekeeping staff so much as skimped on the starch when ironing the 1000-count Egyptian cotton sheets.
But hey-ho, what do I know?
* Jodie.
She wouldn’t be best pleased with having her name misspelt.
Te likes to be recognized for smart:) capable/qualified.
I decided to CHEAT finally. I don’t see INTJ here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bQeHpxJvJ0
More conventional type.
ESTJ:):):):)
Blake, am I right????!!!!!!
So Judy is INTJ. Someone please tell me I’m right.
The first two female ESTJ celebrities that come to my mind are: Chelsea Handler and Khloe Kardashian. I’m laughing thinking about them having drinks with Jodie Foster.
That is the thing that I think I see underneath the surface of such a contained thinker as an INTJ. There is this childlike playfulness lurking underneath. It is not a twinkle in the eye or anything like that, because that is just not there in these old in youth spirits. However, when they are older they seem to grow younger and have the childhood they were never allowed themselves in middle age. It is weird but she practically looks younger than she did at 17. Not really, but her feel is much more childlike and her children and this stage of life allowed that repressed stuff to come out. We’re all striving to find the center of ourselves in life whether we know it or not. I find that the cerebral and contained (sometimes emotionally constipated INTJs) eventually find their center after they have structured their world to their liking and have reached some goals. Old in youth and young in old age seems to be just one example of this balancing people do in life. Does that resonate with anyone else?
INTJs can be pretty zany, I’d say, especially when they mature and get more in touch with their tertiary Fi. I think her children taught her to be young again and catch up on the “missed parts” of youth that she skipped over.
Rita and May
I agree about the zaniness and the playfulness. Here’s a short clip of one of my favourite female INTJs, the TV personality Victoria Coren Mitchell, which I think demonstrates it well. VCM’s almost certain to be unknown to anyone outside the UK but is a fascinating character, who self-types as INTJ. Renowned journalist by day, she’s a world championship poker player by night. A thinker rather than a feeler, she has a razor-sharp, analytical mind and is warm and compassionate but not sentimental.
In interviews VCM talks about having been ‘the oldest young person she ever met’, who relished the rigour and challenge of exams for example, and who is more playful as an adult than she ever was as a child.
“It’s a career for people who are service-minded… it’s about having a moral agenda and finding a place in which to serve that moral agenda.” Jodie Foster, INTJ. This is a comment that is aware of feelings/values but subordinates them to an objective conceptual scheme. Also she makes several schematic comments about “kinds of people,” which to me is a pretty good marker for INTJ.
I’m unsure about the others (I don’t pretend to understand extroverts!) but I think ENFP. I get distinct, differentiated Fi from all of them in their own way. In general they’re ‘vibing’ on their interviewers, sort of curating their responses as they go to keep the ball in the air, which to me says Ne-Fi. Hilary Swank’s “just be in the moment” is typical ENFP.
Heather Graham reads to me here as almost INFJish, in that she seems to be consulting inner realities while successfully fronting excitement and fun, more consistent with an extroverted auxiliary. Something about her use of language and the way she gets seized by images, too. I’m not saying she is one, but I’d put her at one end of an arbitrary spectrum with maybe Jennifer Garner and Judy Davis at the other.
(I think a previous attempt at this comment got eaten, please delete the duplicate if it’s in a moderation queue instead.)
I think the auxiliary Fi is actually purest and strongest from Judy Davis. The Te some are picking up is just her strict training to be “proper.”
Jodie Foster strikes to me as INTJish, but I can’t say that she is actually an INTJ (if you get what I mean?)…She does seem rather detached from touchy-feely stuff, but is that really a defining INTJ trait? I do find it in one of my INTJ female friends. They speak and carry themselves in a similar manner, but I don’t get the feeling that Jodie is an introvert. Maybe she was just a tomboy? Not sure…
Maybe Judy Davis is an INTJ? To me, she seems a little bit “in her own world”? She keeps averting her eyes before making brief eye contact with the interviewer. She seems thoughtful, searching for words to convey what she’s feeling/picturing. Could this be an Ni-trait (not necessarily a defining trait…but one of the associated traits)? Dunno, I do this a lot, and I consider myself a dominant Ni-user. I’m crap at talking to people one-on-one, because I don’t think in words…I have to look away to picture what I’m saying (or what they’re saying when I’m listening). Also, I can’t really see Te in these videos, but I can sense Ni and Fi.
The rest are…ENFPs? ESFPs? Methinks extraverted Fi-users…Could Jodie be an INTJish version of them? Or maybe I’m just talking horsecrap.
Kay, I take that back. Maybe Jodie Foster is indeed an INTJ. Definitely a healthy one…Her eyes seem indicative of an INTJ’s. Quite cool, aware, evokes a sense of focus within, has this watery-look to it (almost seems lonely if you look close). She speaks directly (Te-Fi). Good insight at a very young age. I don’t put much emphasis on the academic achievement or ambition – I’ve met plenty like her in that aspect and not all were INTJs. I guess the fact that she can seem so bubbly nearly fooled me, but no, she probably is an INTJ.
Then what is Judy Davis? As someone else implied above, she could be looping. Ni-Fi? Fi-Ni? ISFP? INFP? Hell, even INFJ? (I can act just the same, especially at times of high insecurity/self-doubt…and I am a self-proclaimed INFJ)
Judy Davis is without doubt ( at least to me ) the INTJ. Watching her speak was like watching a female version of Hitchens. “P” said the same thing and that’s exactly the impression I got while watching her speak. Even without the video and just the audio I probably would have said INTJ. Jodie Foster would be my close second choice for INTJ
The rest are hard to fit into one type imo. I’m going to have to spend more time watching. Claire Danes could kind of pass as an INFJ to me, but I don’t want to say for sure. Julia styles seems like an introverted Fe user of some kind and the rest come across as FPs (NFPs and SFPs)
I’ll definitely have to spend more time watching before I can really make any kind of judgment about the rest. I only skimmed through most of the videos once, and watched a couple a few times to reach those conclusions
Yes, I’m still convinced that Judy Davis is the INTJ out of the group for sure. I just can’t see her on a continuum with the others. Judy has Fi, but not in an FP kind of way to me. Jodie does not come across definitively as an INTJ for me, even though she’s my second choice out of that group pretty easily. She seems to have a certain “politeness” and emotional openness in her personality while in those two interviews that is not really too characteristic of INTJs in my opinion. INTJs usually have a more direct “just say what needs to be said” attitude and politeness usually isn’t taken into account. Not saying that Jodie was being overly polite or anything in those two interviews, but it’s my overall impression. I think INTJs just come across a little bit more “steely” or “cool” than what I saw in those two interviews of Jodie, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t an INTJ. I’m only going off of those two interviews and nothing else I’ve read or watched on the internet. She does closely remind me of Teal Swan, even down to the accent. Teal Swan is a self identified INFJ 4w3. Doesn’t mean either of them are though, but take it for what it’s worth.
The others? Not totally sure but I do think Hillary Swank is possibly an XNFJ, definitely an idealist I feel. Claire Danes is likely an INFX. Seems very focused on the interviewer, a bit nervous and a little awkward but not really in an ISFPish Fi way, if that makes sense. I did say Julia Stiles seemed like an introverted Fe user of some type, and that is still what I think.
^I could be wrong about a bit of that, but I think I’m going to stick to it lol
I appear to be littering the comments. Sorry. So here I will put my thoughts together as best as possible. Jodi shows a tremendous confidence as well as simplicity in her answers. That looks so much like Ni and that’s what I immediately thought, but I think it might just be confidence as well as lack of questioning. It’s even more forceful than Ni. Like a gavel. In other interviews, Jodi just comes across more square to me than an INTJ. Even in this early interview, her TE is so palpable (look at this lady’s bite).
Ok now look at Gwyneth Paltrow. She is very articulate. And then look at the chisel in her bite. So clean and crisp and efficient. Te. She has a twinkle in her eye. She probably has a streak of sentimentality. Inferior Fi perhaps or tertiary Fi.
In any case that’s already two Te users…… Claire Daines has all the mannerisms of someone I know who is ISTJ, same types of jokes, same aura. But if she is an extrovert, closest would be ESTJ.
Etc….. so I am not convinced that these videos are 1 INTJ plus a bunch of ESPs. Even though this was my first impression. Aren’t first impressions just SO WEIRD.
Looks more like at least some STJs and I guess Judy would be the INTJ.
Heather could be estp she is really loose makes you think SE.
Jodie. I haven’t watched the videos yet. I think her skin already exudes something, a certain quality that I would connect to INTJ. Which makes me wonder about skin, expression, mentality types etc.
Yes!!! I know just what you mean. Look at later interviews with her though? Skin?
Haha! “Put the lotion in the basket!” (laughing at lunar’s last question and *’s wonder)…
Blake, you don’t know frisky.
Jodie is the INTJ. She views characters as facets of herself (Ni) enjoys learning and taken classes for a role, is physically capable and independent, is a scholastic overachiever in her personal life (Te knowledge for metal/emotional stimulation’s sake vs. Ti knowledge for self/research’s sake). She gets annoyed when the first interviewer asks very literal questions about a movie that has so many existential layers (he clearly doesn’t get it the way she gets it) and she responds with an eclectic combination of boredom and shape-shifty agreeableness. She finds dark brilliance “moving”, and thinks she missed “all the bad stuff” and didn’t miss anything worthwhile by working during her childhood and adolescence. She’s none the worse for wear for all her lifetimes and seems to be only anxious to know when these people will stop badgering her with glib questions.
The rest are ISFPs. Yes, one can smell the Fi all over them. Diaz writes a book (or finds someone to write it for her) to make herself feel better about herself physically aging, validates women “giving themselves more” than they had before–this couldn’t be more the epitome of dominant Fi/auxiliary Se. Paltrow was drawn to “pretending for a living” (gross) and fancied herself both the underdog in need of validation, AND the Queen Bitch resented by all. Heather, “Look at me/Don’t look at me/Why aren’t you looking at me/Back off, asshole!” Graham. Jennifer is genuinely surprised at how “smart” her children are (equates child-like emotional plays and pleas to actual intelligence). Julia wanted to travel, Julia wanted to learn Spanish, Julia wanted this or that…volunteering for a humanitarian organization was simply the vehicle for her validation and whether or not that house ever got built we’ll surely never know. Claire Danes thinks people telling her not to park in front of fire hydrant zones are meanies; all those rules really rain on her parade. Judy Davis is practically seething resentment towards a director that didn’t let her be “free” and was too antagonistic. She values emotional input over actual direction, which she finds critical, seems to take VERY personally, and uses it as an excuse not to work as hard as she knows she can, instead of as a driver to perform better. Very Fi. Validate Me Or Die, Fi.
The only chick that I was a little on the fence about was Swank. She seems empathetic, deep–mainlines walking in other people’s shoes, understanding their plights, fighting for their causes, changing the world for the better. She seems personally affected by the travesties of man and animal in this cruel world. And I never saw her relate any of this back to herself in terms of her own plights and struggles or how she’s triumphed over other people’s tragedies, ect. She’s pretty silent about herself, only relates outwardly to people. Makes me think she’s an INFJ.*
*Please don’t anyone kill me.
Niki, totally agree with everything you said. I have to admit I didn’t watch Hillary Swanks video but I can see her being infj. She actually seemed like an odd choice for this selection of women. Before I watched any videos, my thought was Jodie was the infj, Judy was the red herring, there just to distract but Hillary I had like a millisecond of hummmm.
Typo
Jodie is an INTJ.
“One can smell Fi all over them”. But strong Fi or inferiorly used Fi? I find that all these interests turned into books/websites etc is a sublimation of Fi.
Michelle, yes, Judy was definitely the distraction of the group. She (to me) is super-hyper-Fi….it’s all about her process, her vision, her whims….let her just be HER…don’t mess with what she wants (at any given moment, I assume). It’s all about the process for her, the process of her actions, not how her actions culminate into the finished product: the film itself, and/or how her performance fits into the greater whole of the project. She is the most dominant Fi dominant of the group (to me) and is also the most defensive. She’s essentially the least developed ISFP of the group (to me), with Julia Stiles a close second, and Heather Graham third. It’s like they all solicit SO much feedback, but it has to be feedback that’s exactly what they want (validating what they perceive themselves to be/be accomplishing)…it in no way can be objective and/or honest. Honesty can be a cruel mistress to strong Fi, as can reality.
Lunar, yes I’m referring to dominant Fi as the first function. ISFPs are dominant Fi, auxiliary Se; ESFPs are dom Se and auxiliary Ni. I vacillated between the two, but I think these ladies take everything personally (Fi), and then look to the outside for validation and encouragement and hope…ummm….whatever’s around is gonna give it to them (Se). ESFP would essentially do the same thing, but in a different way…absorbing the environment (Se) first, then relating it personally/trying to find what’s in it for them (Fi) .
I don’t see any of these ladies wielding Te like a boss, except Jodie. If Judy was using Te with Ni like an INTJ, she would never feel put-out or repressed by a director (or, arguably, anyone. Ever.) If she did, she would simply dismiss the person, and would never give them the honor of being mentioned (let alone, bitched about) in an interview.
Sorry, typo…ESFPs are dom Se and auxiliary Fi…..no Ni as I just said. Whoopsy daisy.
Lunar,
I also think your perspective is so interesting… “I find that all these interests turned into books/websites etc is a sublimation of Fi.”
I agree with that. I feel like dominant Fi, seeking an ally, and creating one if necessary, will turn to books/websites to find what it needs, subliminally. It seeks a circle of subliminal “trust”.
Wow. I feel lonely…. I thought someone would say “oh yeah estj I see it now” Hmmm…..
Jodie Foster is the INTJ here. Especially stands out when you watch the video of her as a teen. There’s a gravity and self-assurance in the way she articulates that’s just very…INTJ-ish.
Dunno what the other ones are, but I’m gonna guess ENFP. A lot of them seem to have a kind of zany humor I see in ENFPs, combined with that kind of Shiny Inspirational Idealism…type of thing going on that Blake talked about in his ENFP article.
I think when compared to each other, ENFPs give off a “bright” energy (that turns into storminess when they’re upset or in some dark mood) while INTJs have more of a still intensity.
Also want to add that depending on their mood, ENFPs can project a pretty wide variety of flavors, both within themselves and to others (they can come across as pretty dark and heavy if they’re in a brooding mood). I feel like this is probably why everyone is typing all these women all over the place. It may or may not be true that they’re all ENFP (or whatever type)…but I can easily see an ENFP coming across in any of these ways, and I can’t really see any other type being able to encompass them all.
Jodie Foster is the INTj. At least it seems that way to me. She has a confidence and assuredness about her. She suggests interest in the future and is a planner. She externalizes her thoughts with ease. Some development of Fi, but she does not prioritize it and seemed clearly surprised as if she had never thought about what kind of person she would want to date. She quickly recovered and shared the answer as if she knew it already, but the answer seemed to come out of nowhere but she knew it was right. It wasn’t premeditated or cagey to preserve her privacy. I believe she really had not spent much time thinking about that subject much at all before. She was focused on her profession, school, and where she hopes to go in life. I detect that same kind of detachment about romantic matters in favor of a future and career that I see with the few young INTJs I have met and gotten to know over the years. She is beyond her years, but there is a strange innocence at the same time. It is hard to describe but INTJs often seem to possess that for me. Most people don’t see that, but it becomes evident in these otherwise very cool cerebral people. She seems a very balanced and healthy sort of INTJ. She seems to have it together and know where she is going, but open enough to adapt if need be. I think there are a few of these types around.
Judy Davis may be an INTP, but she engages in a lot of Ti and Si both. I don’t get a lot of Ne or Fe in this interview, so it was definitely different. I have noted eccentricity in some INTPs before and she has that. They also have a confidence but are often somewhat awkward while being brilliant. She seemed pretty different from any type I’ve known, except someone on heavy drugs and a person with a major diagnosis. I don’t mean that negatively, because I am not saying she is on drugs or has some kind of diagnosis. It just seemed she was skipping over a more favored function to engage in the interviews. I don’t know anything about her at all except some of her work, so I don’t know if this is her norm. Something made her hard to peg. She did not feel as structured as Jodie Foster, but somehow more brittle and firm and maybe more black and white in her judgments. Don’t ask for details to explain that, it is just more of a feel. I don’t understand it myself. I just do not feel like she is an INTJ at all.
Hillary Swank I believe may be an INFP. She is evidently pretty emotional, but keeps it very low key. She seems to be into causes for the downtrodden and the vulnerable. She seems neither extroverted or to possess a lot of Fe as she is speaking. She occasionally does the tangent thing and does not check in with her interviewer as much to see how she is received, but she is respectful and caring. She does not look like a poster child for an INFP, but I believe there are plenty of them who may be like her.
Cameron Diaz and Heather Graham seem to have an ENFPish quality to them. They are extroverted, exuberant, enthusiastic, sparkling and seem energized by the lime light. That said, I would not be shocked to discover that Heather Graham is an ESFP and that Cameron Diaz is one of the rare female ENTPs though. They are both fun and entertaining and have no problem goofing around, whatever type they are.
I believe that Jennifer Garner is the quintessential ESFJ type. She seems so organized and motherly. She has that deceptively sweet voice like many teachers, sitcom mothers, and the most admired wives and mothers and community organizers of society. Great people. Just don’t cross one! đ
Julia Stiles? Hhhhmmmm. I was fading out at this point. She is interesting. Perhaps she is an ESTP? Dunno.
Now, Gwyneth Paltrow is an enigma to me. She seems much sweeter in this interview than in many others I’ve seen. She sometimes irritates me with her holier than thou ways and then she impresses me. She has the most chameleon type feel of all of the others. Maybe an INFJ?
I could be easily convinced to change my mind on many of these, but Jodie Foster seems most of all like the INTJ in the bunch.
Well crap! I am sorry I wrote a book and wasted space here when Blake already said that only one person was an INTJ and the others are all the same type. I missed that part. So sorry. Okay, Jodie Foster is still the INTJ in my estimation and the rest are ESFPs. I feel some are intuitive, but the chances are good that most of them are Sensors, so I’m going with that. The INTJs opposite. Interesting that you chose that type if I guessed the other type right.
I’ve been having a lot of fun with this surprisingly difficult challenge!
Just to show that I have been listening to Blake’s advice, I figure that the best approach is to stop doing my typical INFJ over-analysis and switch to Fe expression instead. So here goes:
Eyes are a good indicator of the perceiving functions in action, and all the actresses strike me as using mainly Ni/Se as opposed to Si/Ne. Both Se and Ni eyes tend to lock onto a subject of interest and are relatively steady and penetrating. But Se will remain locked on while Ni eyes defocus and start to look through the subject as if staring into the far distance. Ni eyes can be simultaneously intense and dreamy – and this can be quite disconcerting for the subject of intense Ni scrutiny. All the women are doing this to some degree, but it is most noticable in Jodie Foster and Judy Davis.
It follows that if all the actresses are expressing Ni, then this won’t help sort the INTJ from the others. So we have to look at other factors instead.
Blake has given us a clue in an earlier article where he said INTJs present as taut, tense, awake, conscious and active. That immediately rules out Jody and Judy who are not like that at all in the videos. In fact they look more like INFJs (slack, loose and even sleepy).
To be continued when I have more time.
So who is taut, tense, awake, conscious and active?
Not the young Claire Danes, who admittedly is active, but otherwise presents as enthusiastic, upbeat and maybe little overwhelmed.
Nor Heather Graham, who is too busy showing off and having fun.
That leaves five actresses to consider.
After a rewatching of the videos I can rule out another three: Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Garner and Hilary Swank. These ladies are displaying a great deal of Fe, both with their body language and their words. They smile a great deal, are warm and animated, mirror the interviewers gestures, and are comfortable with using Feeling language to express their emotions and passions.
I do not see much (if any) Te forcefulness on display here. More importantly, I’m not picking up that hard, spiky edginess that strong Te projects.
Now we’re left with just Julia Styles and Cameron Diaz. My gut reaction says Julia maybe the INTJ, but I haven’t ruled out Cameron just yet!
Maybe another attempt at this Fe/freeform style of expression will help me decide….
I think one would expect an INTJ to present as “taut, tense, awake…etc” but I have a few INTJ friends who aren’t really like that at all. Of course, I’m young so that might be why. They aren’t really driven by a fire or some grand vision; they’re rather dry and hardly influenced at all by inner emotions. One of my female INTJ friends is entirely apathetic. When she listens (note: “when” – she often chooses not to listen!), she will seem aware, but I wouldn’t describe her as taut or tense whatsoever. She doesn’t give a flying sh*t about anything! She really minimizes Fi and heavily favours Ni and Te. She taught herself to let go of perfectionism, burning idealism, or any emotion whatsoever – but she gets the job done, always. She is relaxed but confident. My other male INTJ friend is very much the same, but he is riddled by insecurity and simply doesn’t understand this sense of American ambition/passion/intensity. Nevertheless, he’s a true Aquarian “observer” down to the tee.
So what I’m trying to say is that I wouldn’t merely go by that criteria, but it’s true that you’ll find these characteristics in quite a few INTJs – but not all of them!
Agree with your comments, schlapadoo, but it’s just one of the lenses I’ve been applying to help sort between the actresses. One of my closest female friends is an INTJ, but you wouldn’t necessarily guess that when you first meet her. When she’s relaxed and in a social setting she is bubbly, cheeky and extremely funny. It’s only when she shifts to her businesswoman persona that you see the intensity and tautness. Or when she’s pissed off. You do not want to be in firing range, when she’s pissed off!
I get the feeling that all of the actresses are either INFJ or INTJ, which is why Blake’s little exercise is so challenging. Both types have chameleon-like qualities; only showing you want they want you to see in their external avatars. They are more alike than the usual cliched type descriptions would have you believe!
I am an INFJ myself and can tell you that I do this as well. I have many different personas that I can slip into and out off like changing a set of clothes. Sometimes I do this naturally, without conscious forethought. At other times I will deliberately choose an appropriate avatar to inhabit when I know in advance what will be required of me. For example, when I have to give evidence in Court as a Forensic Scientist I evoke my “Expert Witness” perzona. He is polite and formal, well dressed but nerdy, a bit stuffy but extremely knowledgeable. You can see how I refer to him as if he was another person, because to me he is! Once his job is done (and he is very good at it!) I shed him like a snake shedding it’s skin and pack him away until he’s needed again.
It’s this shapeshifting ability that makes INJ’s great at acting when they choose that as a profession. All the women in these clips are doing this to some extent (some more knowingly than others) – shifting into a specific role or persona to present in public.
Stewart– I think you’re right about the chameleon-like nature of the type on display here, but I think it’s the shallow, evocative, reflexive, effortless Ne-Fi chameleon (ENFP) not the deep, coherent, deliberate, self-monitoring Ni-Fe chameleon (INFJ). Heather Graham strikes me as INFJish in her clip, but on reflection I think that’s only because her performance reminds me of one of my extroverted personae; that is, she evokes my inner experience of adopting that persona. I think something similar is going on when other INFJs in this thread see INFJ in Swank or Davis, neither of which I can see at all. I guess Blake is getting at the distinction between Ne and Ni, or maybe illustrating auxiliary Fi (vs. dominant or tertiary)?
What I see in the interviews is not so much actresses choosing specific roles to present, but something more like improvisational jazz, where the art is in playing, each moment, those notes that allow the listener to supply coherence. I think only Ne-Fi can really manage that, at least through a screen (we INFJs can do something analogous in person with our Ni-Fe).
And that has helped me pick Cameron Diaz as the INTJ, as she reminds me of my friend (who is a prolific writer of self-help books and snappy business manuals, which she churns out with incredible speeed, along with a gazillion other money-making schemes). Cameron is also quite different when she is with her dog, and this also reminds me of the softer side of my friend, who loves animals more than she does people.
Her description of why she doesn’t watch TV sounds to me like classic inferior Se, so INXJ makes sense here as well. There is a certain intensity and drivenness about Cameron’s whole demeanor in both interviews, even though she is trying to present a softer image.
Finally there is a little bit of tense awkardness about Diaz – check out when the technician has to adjust her microphone. Moments like that are hard to fake even for an INJ, so maybe this is where her true type is most visible.
As for the rest, I will plump for INFJ.
I concede that I may be completely off-base, but whatever, it has been great fun getting here!
Hey, Stuart
My name was supposed to be spelled like yours, but my ditzy mother got it wrong when she went to the registry office! But I digess…..:)
I did consider ENFP for some of the women, but I’m not seeing much Ne in their eye movements. Strongly expressed Ne can sometimes be seen when the eyes start darting all over the place like a spider on acid. It’s very different to the steady, penetrating Ni gaze and quite easy to spot once you start looking for it.
The eyes relect what is going on in the brain: Dario Nardi describes Ne as transcontextual thinking; different areas across the surface of the whole brain light up in rapid succession like flickering Christmas tree lights as Ne casts wide its associative net of connections.
Ni also draws upon the whole of the brain, but much more holistically. All of the surface brain regions light up simultaneously in an almost zen like fashion, which becomes deeper and deeper as Ni builds up momentum. Hence the steady, penetrating eyes when Ni is strongly activated.
Hard to fake this, even for a talented actor!
Cool! I haven’t paid any attention to correlating type with physical presentation. I’m not sure what you’re describing comports with my experience of INFJs or ENFPs, but I will certainly keep an eye out for it now. Do those kinds of eye movements appear the same way when Ne or Ni is in the auxiliary position? (INFP, say, or ENFJ.)
Yeah, they do. Also in the tertiary and inferior positions. The functions remain the same regardless of where they are in the typological stack. What changes is the frequency in which they are accessed. This means that accurately assessing a person’s type using this type of method requires observe them over a relatively long time, and in different situations.
There are also physical indicators for the Judging functions. These tend to be more visible in the body than the eyes. I am most attuned to Fe expression (since it is my own auxiliary) – check out my earlier post where I described some of the hallmark signals of Fe that I was seeing in some of the actresses.
This is far from an exact science, but I have found it to be a useful, evidence-based indicator of a person’s use of the different type functions.
I think Jodie Foster is the INTJ. She has Ni in her eyes and talks in kind of a badass manner, like she is certain of everything she says (as INTJs I know). For the other women I’d say ESFP, mainly because of Judy. She makes me think she’s an unhealthy ESFP (I know it’s weird. Fuck logic).
Jodie Foster strikes me as the most likely candidate for INTJ. She’s the only one who seems un-entranced (if there is such a word) by the experience of being interviewed and there is not a hint of flirtatiousness in her manner. She responds thoughtfully, steered by her head not her heart. Credible but not cold.
I can’t see the others having a common type. Several of the interviewers are loud, brash, fawning and, to a British audience, cringe-worthily familiar. It’s hard to know how much this hyper ES environment distorts the way some of the actresses feel compelled to present.
Heather Graham and Jennifer Garner come across to me as ESFP but I can see Niki’s argument about them being ISFP. They were so vapid I found it hard to watch the clips. At first glance (another one I admittedly skipped through) Claire Danes struck me as ISFP or possibly INFP – there was something very princessy about her.
In other interviews, Cameron Diaz has struck me as closer to ENTP – high self esteem but doesn’t take life too seriously, a natural comic.
I agree with other comments that Gwyneth Paltrow comes across as sweeter in this Parkinson interview than she normally does. I find her very studied, very contrived, a pretty cold character and lacking the fierce intellect and rationality you normally find in INTJs.
Julia Stiles generally comes across to me as quite badass. If I ignore whatever it is she’s saying in this clip and focus on her eyes (quick, bright and darting), her insouciant posture and the unselfconscious (and unseductive) way she adjusts her slipping bra strap, I see nothing FP about her (unlike Graham, Garner and Danes).
It’s the first interview I’ve seen with either Hilary Swank or Judy Davis. Both strike me as introverts, both as deep thinkers. Hilary Swank comes across as warmer than INTJ. Judy Davis, I’m not sure.
Karen, I can totally buy Cameron Diaz as an ENTP. She also has that awkward and quirky thing that they have. I suspect she may have some hidden depths despite the levity and lightness she brings to her public appearances. She also mentioned how much she enjoyed studying the science of aging when putting together her book. I also think the feely thing we get from her may just be conditioning as a female, but more that she makes decisions with a thinking process in reality. I like her more than I like some of the others and I just have a thing for the ENTPs of the world. Even when they irritate me – I love them! While she is is sexy and flirty, she does not have that same kind of hot animal sensuality that you will often see in ESFPs. ENTP women are quite rare, so they may be a little difficult to identify but I think they often have a kind of man’s brain. I can totally see that in her despite her very feminine sexy package.
ENTPs are ideas people and Cameron Diaz is definitely a people person. But yes, she shares with ENTPs an ADD quality and a thirst for variety and independence. And she doesn’t seem to take herself or anything too seriously which is very refreshing.
I type myself as an INTJ and I see myself in Jodie Foster most. She also went into systems-thinking mode about “working within the system” and other practical issues etc, which strikes me as particularly INTJ. The next clip with her 17-year-old self sounds like a bright-eyed intj girl to me. Everything she says sounds mature since she’s being careful about her idealism, but I resonate with it.
I think Judy Davis throws a lot of people off due to her darker eccentric demeanour, but she just seems like a kind of bitter high-end Fi user.. Like I started tuning out what she was saying because it seemed too emotionally laden. When INTJs get bitter, I think they tend to get sharp and cold, not murky sultry like Judy.
So maybe everyone else including Judy is ESFP/ISFP/ENFP/INFP.. haha.
This is so Martha Stewart:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nxy8aE3wbs&nohtml5=False
And if I had to choose Martha Stewart is ESTJ.
Because estj. can also be about “proper”. Proper etiquette, proper upbringing. Even girl next door in its own way.
And ever so slightly showing off. Come into my perfect household.
So if a bunch of these ladies are ESTJ how can some be so hyper?? I’d say it’s because Te is good at conversation and because Ne in third place is good at being playful.
Isn’t that more of ESFJ Fe thing?
I think both estjs and estjs can get into this. Traditionalists in many ways.
Finally watched the Hilary Swank video…she is an infj. I completely recognize her style of communicating. The way she emphasizes certain words with her voice.hand gesture, and facial expressions. She has a kindness and warmth but she’s not flirty. She has depth and seriousness to her. She also makes eye contact and then looks off into space as she is talking and thinking. She thinks in pictures. She wants to describe what she sees in simple easy to understand terms even if what she is talking about is really hard for some people to understand. Meaning the human element of being transgender in a world of people who are so frightened and confused by such a thing, that they forget that transgender individuals are people too. She has a deep sincerity to her that is definitely infj.
Michelle
I’ve just finished watching the whole thing too and agree with everything you say. đ She’s definitely INFJ and I’d be amazed if any of the others is.
Hillary Swank has a very similar style to Michelle Obama. What type is Michelle Obama? To me they could be the same person talking sometimes.
Karen and Michelle, I agree that Hillary Swank is a different type from the others. Everything about her felt different. I also agree that she is an NF and I would go with introvert. However, I feel she may be more of an INFP. Yes, she is serious and does not have that cuddly adorable feel that so many INFPs seem to possess, so from that I could go with INFJ. However, her emotion seems to be more subdued but internally intense and her own rather than checking in with the interviewer that you might see with an INFJ. INFJs seem to have this tendency to turn things around and question the interviewer or you can feel them being responsive to the interviewer and tailoring their responses to include the interviewer’s perspective or feeling. There are times when she seemed to ignore the interviewer’s intent (e.g., when it was said they were going to talk about her passion for animals later but wanted to start with acting). She seemed to possess a little more Fi than Fe to me. She is quite passionate and caring as any NF can be, but I think she travels a little more to the independent beat of her own drum to guide her. I could be wrong. I often find it odd the way an INFJ and an INFP can seem so alike when their functions are so different. It is like they get to the same end point through different methods. I can better believe INFJ for her than I can believe she is in the same category as Heather Graham or Cameron Diaz.
I would love to hear what you guys think about Jennifer Garner. I also think she is a different type from the SPs. I would swear that she is an ESFJ. I also think Gwyneth Paltrow is some kind of introvert despite the fact that she has been in the lime light forever.
I have two ISTJ friends who I swore were INFJs due to their lovely empathy, listening abilities, and gentle natures, real soft hearts. So I really wonder just HOW one should type a person….. I’ve noticed in all our comments we’re all doing different things. I feel like a lot of true things are being said, and yet we’re making different conclusions from pretty good insights. Would be nice to have a method for typing:)
Michelle Obama is ESTJ.
“Michelle Obama is ESTJ.”
What! Woot! I swear then we are looking at a bunch of ESTJs:):)
Hilary Swank is too what-you-see-is-what-you-get to be an INFJ. Her eyes are warm but there is no meta-level to her. She is a rock not a cave. And her personality presents as more stable than chameleon-like if you watch other interviews with her over the years and with a variety of people.
Yeah, that’s why I also pegged her as an INFJ, Michelle.
One difference between how Jodie answers and Judy is…. Jodie seems to already have the answer. Judy seems to be able to keep going deeper and very internally.
An example of a famous female ISFP is Frida Kahlo. They express themselves through visual aesthetics and are typically not the most charming verbally. In fact they are relatively non-verbal. I don’t see an ISFP on this list.
Another famous female ISFP is Sofia Coppola, for example.
yeah, with the exception of Judy, these ladies are assertive and communicative
Heather Graham is so SE. Extroverted sensing.
If we allow more than just two types, we have Jodie foster ESTJ heather graham ES Julia stiles ISTP more coming tomorrow
Jodie Foster is an ISTJ.
As for the others, it is hard to place them all under one umbrella type, but they are definitely Se and Ti doms, ISTP and ESTP works well.
Contrary to many other comments here, I believe Jodie Foster is a Sensor rather than an Intuitive. It’s difficult to explain, and a little difficult to externally discern between Si and Ni, two very fascinating introverted functions. One thing is for certain though, the individual subjective life experience of an Si is very different to that of an Ni.
Si>Te>Fi>Ne ISTJ
and the
Ni>Te>Fi>Se INTJ
I won’t elaborate further than that for now, but I firmly believe in what I have laid out.
If anything pops into your mind please share:):):) I also experimented with the Si thing. She looked ESTJ to me yesterday lol. Today she looks ESTP to me. And this evening almost ENTJ. Definitely gonna loose my marbles over this challenge.
Just throwing this out there- it’s pretty tough to type people based on interviews from talk shows. Talk show interviews are live entertainment and are exaggerated, fake, and often scripted caricatures of a regular everyday conversation with the respective celebrity. When you go on a talk show, you’re entertaining. Also, these are actresses who are naturally skilled at not being themselves and turning it on in front of the camera. Bad combination for trying to type someone. Without watching the interviews though its a pretty safe guess that the actresses besides Jodie and Judy are probably either ESFP’s or ENFP’s- the two most generic actress types.
Now for Jodie and Judy:
Jodie- First off, the fact that in the teenage interview she’s studying languages, plans on attending a Ivy league school, and wants to be a director, she’s an introverted intuitive. And just her overall maturity/ commitment to her work at that age tells you she is an introverted intuitive. She sees the potential she has and can visualize her future success so she is able to focus full energy into pursuit of the vision. Nothing else she could be doing as a 17 year old is as important. She’s going to be a great actress and she knows it. Relationships, parties, fun, human contact, who needs it when you can learn French, go to Yale, and be a movie star. She doesn’t have boyfriend and says “she doesn’t have time” and “doesn’t think about it much.” Early signs point towards INTJ. INTJ’s first love is intellectual pursuits and figuring out how “things” work. The type best suited to solely work on whatever pursuit they choose and have tunnel vision without needing a relationship is INTJ’s. INFJ’s, especially at 17, would have a tough time setting aside human relationships completely to focus on work. They can do this, but they’ll always need to replenish with a healthy dose of human interaction or Fe. INTJ’s don’t need this- they are replenished by the intellectual pursuit itself.
However, her interest in learning French, being a director, and being an actress all point towards Jodie being an INFJ. Also, she gives off a very masculine impression especially in the teenage video. This is more of an INFJ thing- having both masculine and feminine qualities either because INFJ’s are able to have the qualities of 5 different people as it is depending on the situation or because of their empathic nature. Acting is also way more geared towards INFJ’s, having insight into a character and becoming them on screen. INTJ’s don’t care about or understand people unless they have to make an attempt to understand people if people come in the way of their master Te plan. They understand things and systems of things, and try to understand people if their Te vision requires them to. Think Chip Kelly, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sam Hinkie. INTJ’s are also both uncomfortable socially and have inferior sensing which makes them awkward physically. Bad combination for an actor unless you’re Jesse Eisenberg and consistently playing INTJ’s on screen. INFJ’s have inferior sensing but their auxiliary Fe guided by Ni makes them charismatic and really strong socially in the right situations. INFJ’s understand people on such a high level that when they’re comfortable and motivated, they can give them exactly what they want and adapt their delivery and mannerisms based on who they’re talking to. Ni combined with Fe can also be very witty and warm as a result of a sincere interest in other people. INFJ’s just feel a strong pull towards focusing on their intuitive vision rather than using their Fe (except when they’re in the Se grip and are willing to milk their Fe for Se goals. It just isn’t as powerful in those instances because the INFJ is essentially operating as an Se drug addict.)Think being the life of the party and then burying yourself in your room reading Jung for 3 days until an Ni-Ti loop causes you to come up for air and talk to people again. A highly-evolved INFJ is able to be a good actor/ actress and take on many different roles. Think method acting. INTJ’s don’t understand people the way they are. They understand them as science projects that get in the way of their Te plans. Think Chip Kelly designing an innovative new offense and preaching “culture” in his locker rooms then getting fired because he is unable to connect to real people/ has no real understanding of how to manage/ motivate them. Then I found this quote on Jodie’s Wikipedia page- “I wasn’t a science prodigy or a math prodigy … I had a prodigious life, living in a grown-up world when I was a child. But I think my abilities were about perceptiveness and they were about examining psychology and examining people and relationships. And I had instincts about adult stories that I shouldn’t have known anything about. That’s very different to all those really cool prodigies that can play piano. But I wouldn’t change it for anything. I found, at a very young age, even though it’s not my personality to be an actor, a way of expressing myself that allowed me to not be so lonely.” Say no more- not a science or math prodigy, likes, psychology, has human perceptiveness: Jodie is an INFJ.
Judy is more difficult to type. I’ve never heard of her and don’t know any of her movies which also doesn’t help. First off, her hair is a mess which suggests inferior sensing or Fi or both. She also gazes upward when talking which suggests introverted intuition. In the interviews, at first the discussion seemed pretty surface level but then it become a little more intuitive Te. She also says she likes her directors to help her get the emotion of a scene right which is something an INTJ would need. Conclusion: not totally sure based on these two interviews, but she could be INTJ.
Ken, you are right that we probably aren’t getting an accurate portrait of the personality of these celebrities, so it is difficult to know if we are accurate in our assessments. However, since it is fun and since we can, I will suggest that all of your arguments for Jodie Foster being an INFJ are reasonable, but I maintain that she is an INTJ. 1. It is true that acting is not the norm career choice for an INTJ, but acting was chosen for her when she was a child. She started as a toddler being the model for Coppertone and then was in front of the camera from then on. She was good at it and kept it up. It also pays well! There are lots of quotes from her that suggest a more scientific approach to life and acting. One somewhat psychotic sounding quote is that she hates weakness of any kind to the point if she sees a wounded bird on the ground that she thinks, “I’ll just kick it.” She also says that she thinks a lot of actresses who go into the career because they are “boxes of tears.” She does not consider herself to be one of that type and thinks it is in the brain and you are born with it. She also says she “cannot not be cold.”
Now, I know that Blake has pointed out that INFJs are not all warm and fuzzy angelic creatures as other sites would have us believe, but these things sound really INFJ-like to me. We may not embrace vulnerability and what we may perceive as weakness in ourselves, but we can acknowledge on some level it is there and usually do not have the first impulse to add pain to an already suffering creature. She held onto her cold side more consistently through the years than I think an INFJ could or would. I have observed more than one INTJ crow about their coldness, however. These arguments are hardly proof and again they are drawn from isolated interviews and anecdotal experiences – but they really weigh the scale away from INFJ for me.
Here is a link to the article I found in case you are interested: http://articles.latimes.com/1994-12-11/magazine/tm-8144_1_jodie-foster
“Jodie- First off, the fact that in the teenage interview sheâs studying languages, plans on attending a Ivy league school, and wants to be a director, sheâs an introverted intuitive”
I don’t think this is the way to tell someone is Ni. This shows that she is intelligent/capable/motivated/intellectual maybe/precocious. That’s it.
If Jodie were ESTP rather than ESTJ she could look like an Ni at times. After all ESTPs have Ni.
ESTP and ESTJ have some similarities. This is SOO confusing. I will implode shortly.
Okay Blake, there is NO WAY that there is only one INTJ woman here and the rest all share the same personality type… As an INTJ female myself, I would say Judy Davis and Cameron Diaz both have INTJ traits.
“One somewhat psychotic sounding quote is that she hates weakness of any kind to the point if she sees a wounded bird on the ground that she thinks, âIâll just kick it.â ”
Could this be an ESTP thing to say? What makes this INTJ?
Kicking a bird could also be an ENTJ thing?? Definitely an SE kind of thing.
Lunar, it doesn’t make it an INTJ thing necessarily, I just was arguing that it would be more likely to be an INTJ thing than an INFJ thing. I suppose it could be any unhinged type’s thing. đ
Where do you get extroversion from Jodie Foster? She seems to be very introverted despite her confidence, the ease of her posture, and quickness of speech. It seems more that she wants to get the heck away but is indulging the interviewers and doing her job. Her energy is introverted it seems.
Ni can be in first, second, third, fourth. INTJ, ENTJ, ISTP, ESTP, INFJ. If Ni is so visible it’s still any of these 4. Why are so many focusing on INTJ for Jodie?
Because they’re wrong đ
Hi Blake, whoosh well there’s a hint:) Yey!
I am converging to either ESTP, ESTJ or ENTJ. My latest preference is ENTJ.
I’d love someone to shoot me down on this: ENTJ because I can’t connect all the smiling to Ti. If she were ESTP I think she would look slightly stonier. Also Ni in second is kinda like a real aura, which she has in Hannibal Lector.
lunar, so do you think ENTJ for the other types, including Jodie Foster? I’m not familiar with the ENTJ type, but I think I can see it for Jodie. I think ENTJs are supposedly intimidating and Jodie seems sort of like that. But I think she’s either a really bored and unenthused Extrovert, or she’s an Introvert. And I think ISFPs tertiary Ni can really shine!
Someone also mentioned ISTP. I can see that, and ISFP, more than INTJ and ENTJ, I can’t see her as an iNtuitive. And to me the aux. Se is so apparent. She’s so cool.
If it’s not Jodie Foster my best guess is Julia Stiles. Rewatching her clip, I’m struck by how her conversational facility is cold and distant– funny, friendly, but pure Ni and no Fi/Fe. Conan’s carrying all of the energy, Julia is making jokes to fend off the camera.
I maintain ENFP is the other type.
So was Jodie Foster deformed to her tertiary Te, the way some INFJs grow up warped to their Ti and look like I_TP until they sort themselves out?
You may be right about Julia Stiles being a candidate for INTJ. I revisited the video that I had not really paid much attention to because of interruptions. She has a very substantial quality about her. There is a firmness there. It is almost badass like an ISTP, but if I knew more about her I could definitely think her brand of badass is INTJ. 10 Things I hate About You (I hope that’s the right name) was a movie that she made with Heath Ledger when she was young. In case you don’t know it, it is a take off of Taming of the Shrew. I believe her character of Kat was an INTJ and she played that very very well. Maybe people are drawn to characters quite like themselves or good directors cast actors intuitively when they detect a similarity between the actor’s type and the character. Just conjecture without proof, but this may be so.
The only thing that seems off about her being an INTJ is that she seems pretty physical in some aspects. Bourne Identity, dance movies, and Habitat for Humanity. None of these things would necessarily bar her from INTJ membership, but seems a little less likely direction for an INTJ. However, we are talking about cognitive functions, so I suppose any type can go in any direction – it just may differ in how they arrive there.
So finally, the two most likely candidates for me for INTJ are Jodie Foster and Julia Stiles.
A lot of people said Judy Davis, but despite her own badassery, she seems unlikely to be an INTJ. She looks predatory, self protective, and maybe a little drunk or stoned. She still does not seem INTJ to me. I see her commenting on how things have been, lots of remembering, and commenting on how things are. She is critical like an INTJ, but I don’t see her pushing anything forward necessarily. She may push things forward in the scope of acting (no doubt she does), but on a small scale (one movie at a time) and does not connect it to meaning or a greater purpose to move things forward in a grander scope. For instance, she comments on the state of acting in her country for women, but does not propose how she envisions it to be better and propose a way they can get there. She seems not so much intuitive in the MBTI sense, but rather intuitive on a gut level sensing sense. I don’t know, but these are my best guesses.
Yeah. Some physicality is no bar– I know my inferior Se can show up with unexpected spirit in things like sport and dance, it’s just a question of control and priority. Nearly all of the INFJs I know have something in their life corresponding to her Habitat for Humanity pursuit.
I think another mark in Julia’s favour as INTJ is her story about trying to fit in by pretending to be Puerto Rican, and it not working. An ENFP of her talent would have succeeded but would never say she had carried off a role– it would be “I was myself and I just let that side of me emerge” or something like that.
I agree 100% about Judy Davis, to me she was the clearest and heaviest Fi user– all about her value judgements, about projecting a tightly controlled emotional charge to seduce anyone who happens to be listening, etc.
You are right, of course. Lots of INJs do engage Se. I was just trying to argue for and against JS being the INTJ. It isn’t clear cut and I would need more information about her to be firm in committing to that. If it isn’t JF, though – JS is my next choice.
I do declare: Claire Daines is ISTJ. Hillary Swank is as well. I am almost willing to bet money on that. Judy is INTJ. So….. I don’t see what the pattern is at all.
Blake! So Jodie’s not the INTJ? This is so thrilling! Ok, I’m back to Judy, I guess, for INTJ. Maybe she’s not, and maybe she’s not even using Ni but I see her more as an iNtuitive than any of the others. The other seem like sensors to me (besides Cameron Diaz and Julia Stiles) but I’m also considering Hilary Swank.
I align with what lunar said about intelligence, scholarly motivation not necessarily being exclusive to Ni, or any other function/ I think it might be more reliable to focus on the how’s vs the what’s, so I’m going off of body language mostly.
To me, Hilary seems so self-contained which means to me that she’s not a Judger. I think she’s either aux. Se or aux Ne. She seems passionate, but it’s more reserved than I think an INTJ or INFJ would seem. When INTJs are passionate and excited when they talk, it is less values-based (Feeling) and more intellect-based (Thinking), but it’s more forceful, just like an INFJ would be forceful (but maybe warmer), due to their respective extroverted judging aux. functions (Te; Fe). Forceful is the wrong word, I mean something closer to interactive, because of the extroverted judging auxiliary. Extraverted perceiving auxiliary is more passively interacting with the outside, so the user is automatically reserved, even if they’re seeming very extraverted.
So, to me Judy seems a lot more engaging, like an INFJ or INTJ would be. She’s also more thoughtful, which makes me think some kind of iNtuitive, whereas Hilary is more down-to-earth and present with her responses. So, I think Hilary’s a Sensor. And I see her as an Fi-dom.
Hmm, I wonder if the choice of interviews was to help us or mislead us.. I confess, I skimmed through some of the videos (Heather Graham, Julia Stiles, one of Swank and Diaz)
But I think Jodie Foster is the INTJ and the rest are ESFPs.
ESFP… Coz all of them seem responsive to their surroundings, ranging from the hyperactive in comedic talk show setting to a more serious approach in the BBC.. I also see Fi values in some of them ( depending on the type of interview, i mean some of the so-called comical ones are quite superficial)
Jodie Foster’s…her manner/content of speaking seems very Ni-Te… the emphasis on structure, and I get the feeling that in that early age she felt acting was not “intelligent” enough, and balances this by academic studies.. I saw another interview of hers too, and she seems to pride on not having “studied” acting… overall she has a colder way of holding herself, but not in an arrogant way, but it just is… I also saw one short interview of hers from post-2010.. and she comes across as much softer and empathetic to people, and this overall progression seems in keeping with a healthy and well-adjusted INTJ….
And this is quite the opposite to Judy Davis in some ways.. The audio quality in one of the videos is too bad for me to hear the whole thing, but she has such a delicately expressive face, as it responds to every question before her words do…The overall quieter demeanour could be due to the tone of that interview plus a cultural difference….The other video from 10 years later is quite a change, with a stronger, angular presence… but you can hear the strong Fi values in her talk..
In the second video Judy Davis has this immense Christopher Walken vibe. It’s the intonations of her face, her eyes. Uncanny valley swagger, and a smirk that’s not for sharing. She could’ve been Frank White in the King Of New York.
And in the first one I see a kind of schizophrenic scattering, a disintegration. It’s like being in a hundred minds on each passing thought while having only a single output channel.
Hell, I don’t know a thing, but with Ni there seems to be a kind of lack of involvement in shared human time. And Te being a hard compartmentalizing function doesn’t make up for that. That’s what I see in Judy Davis.
Errybody else demonstrates temporally bound Fe.
But, I don’t know.
Jodie, ESTP, ISTJ, ESTJ, ENTJ. One of these 4. That’s a good narrowing down:)
Okay, so who can tell if she is introvert or extrovert. I am having the darndest time. When she is younger she has little bit of an innocent goodie two shoes aspect that some STJs have. Some true school nerds.
Would be awesome to be able to rule out either ISTJ or ESTJ based on introversion/extroversion.
To Lunar:
If we are to assume that Jodie Foster is one of the two types you propose, I would go with ISTJ. She is not an extrovert, at least not in any way that seems evident. She does not enjoy the limelight or fame, but is passionate about her work. She has stayed out of the tabloids for a woman of her celebrity stature way more than an extrovert would. She is a lesbian, but did not come out publicly until a few years ago, and seemed irked that people find it necessary to make an announcement and seemed to put down those stars who do. She said she had already shared that aspect of her life with those she is close to many years but saw no need for public announcements. It was well known that she was gay and it had been rumored that she was for decades before that, but she never confirmed or denied but went about quietly living her life. Even though she is married to a woman with kids and before that had lived with another woman for 15 or more years, she still does not live out loud about any aspect of her life. She likes to talk about her work, but does not talk much about her personal life even now. An extrovert would probably want to grab the mic the minute LGBT rights were in the news if they had a chance to not be completely shunned by the public or Hollywood. Jodie Foster never did that. People are coming out and not being shunned, but she still does not say much about it. That all seems to smack of introversion. It would be stunning to me if she took the MBTI and came out to be an extrovert. Any other combination of letters I would more readily accept than an E for her.
“To Lunar:
If we are to assume that Jodie Foster is one of the two types you propose, I would go with ISTJ.”
Maybe you are right. This entire time this game has been up that Blake posted, I thought that Martha Stewart was ESTJ! But then I found an internet sticker of Martha Stewart with ISTJ under her name. If Martha Stewart can be such an “out there” brand and she is introvert, then yes Jodie Foster could well be an ISTJ.
I had no idea an ISTJ could be such a “brand”. I’m shocked really!
Rita, can you BELIEVE that Martha Stewart is an ISTJ? Or do you think the “internet” is wrong about that?
I watched an interview of Martha Stewart and believe that Julia Stiles could be the same type as her:):) I think we are getting closer and closer to the truth.
I always thought Martha Stewart was an ESTJ. She irritates me that I tune her out right away. She has the hugest ego outside of Donald Trump that I’ve ever seen. But, I’m glad you asked. Now it is making me consider that Blake is perhaps putting up INTJ against ISTJs. I don’t think most of these people are ISTJs, but if that is the direction intended, that would be interesting.
“lunar, so do you think ENTJ for the other types, including Jodie Foster? ”
Oh no not really. I am much more hesitant and confused than that. More and more I am thinking we are looking at guardian types. STJs. I believe Claire Danes is ISTJ. I believe Julia Stiles who first seemed like an ISTP to could be the same type as Martha Stewart. Hillary Swank reminds me of Michelle Obama who a lot of people say is ESTJ. But she also reminds me of a really good friend who other friends think is INFJ but I know to be an ISTJ (she is a softer, deeply respectful and intelligent ISTJ). I noticed that Jennifer Gardner has these Martha Stewart-like interests. It is really hard for me to see Heather Graham as an ISTJ though. That would blow my mind…..
So… no they don’t look like ENTJs to me at all as a group. Starting to view Jodie Foster as a really intelligent ego-less STJ. The whole kick the bird comment does confuse me though. It just seems like some perverted Se-Ni thing to me but I guess that’s not the best way to determine type.
May I just say BUSINESS? Some of these ladies appear to be business women. Jodie, Heather, Jennifer, Gwyneth, Cameron and Julia show some obvious propensity towards business matters. Cameron has the book, Gwyneth the website (about living matters, kind of like Martha Stewart), Jennifer has (perfect southern style home living interests), Jodie has her own corporation doesn’t she?, Heather is directing a movie or has, Julia likes to direct etc. Hillary Swank talks like Michelle Obama.
If you think of it that way…. looks like ESTJ may be the common type.
Someone here (Jordan?) said they could be ENTJs. To me it’s a definite possibility for Jodie because of her very strong Te. Also…. they are all so businessy in some way if you look at where they take things with their careers. Also it would explain how on earth it is possible for Heather Graham and to be in the mix. A fun loving ENTJ could pass off as an SP I think. If they are ENTJs it would show just how fun and self-contained ENTJs can look. Also explains why they keep looking like TJs and businessy.
Okay, so you’re thinking Guardian types, I looked that up and that’s ISTJ, ESTJ, ESFJ, ISFJ.
Yes, Heather Graham as an ISTJ would freak me out as well. Well, I’m with you in thinking that most of the group are Sensors. You pointed out in an earlier comment that Judy is more “deep” and “internal” with her responses and Jodie “seems to already know the answer” – her responses seem to come readily, and just roll of the tongue. I think the rest of theses women, besides Judy, have this in common with Jodie and it think it’s more characteristic of Sensors than iNtuitives.
If I had to choose one of the Guardians, I think I’d go with ISFJ first, ESTJ second.
I’m still thinking ISFP (maybe INFJ), though. Do you think ISFP are out of the question?
And I have no idea about ENTJs… đ I don’t know any, I just imagine that they’re intimidating. I think the actor Mads Mikkelsen is one, but he’s all I have for reference and he’s a guy. I can see it for Julia Stiles.
Just thought I’d share this for laughs……. look at the way Martha Stewart responds to all the jokes:) How inferior is her Ne? I am trying to gage if it’s like 4th place Ne or 3rd place Ne:)
Ok, this Judy Davis as an INTJ is killing me. She says, verbatim, of her director “He tends to approach things from a more technical aspect…he was always approaching me from a technical point of view…and I said at one point ‘Look, umm, I appreciate the technical aspects, and this is helpful, but I really need a little bit of an emotional input here.” She then compares this to another director, that at one point she considered a “fascist” for her demanding nature, but then at some point fostered a better relationship and says of her “Gillian, on the other hand, would never approach…technically, it was always emotional. I think that the most important thing is that the director helps the actor to feel free.”
This is the portrait of the ISFP artisan. Judy is shifting her gaze back and forth, seems to be uncomfortable with the questioning, almost like she’s being put-out by having to verbalize these things. Moving around in her chair. Movement. Shifting. Awkward. Characteristics of the artisan type (SP) that would expresses through movement and the implementation of tools, rather than conversation. They are not the most articulate of types, preferring to “show”, which should not be confused with the NT type which prefers to “do”. ISFPs don’t express THEMSELVES directly, but rather through a medium…painting, art, acting, etc. Take away their artistic-expression-medium (such as what happens in an interview) and you get a person that doesn’t have much to say, and therefore comes across as awkward, bubbly, warm, small-talk-jabbering, defensive, etc….whatever deflection they surmise to be appropriate given the person who is demanding a response from them. They have no end point, as Keirsey says, “ISFPs climb a mountain because it is there. Most SPs drop out of school early, since the school offers little that is of interest to them or that challenges their special brand of intelligence. It is a sad day when the ISFP chooses work wherein the operations are fixed by rule or necessity and NOT FREE. To be happy and productive the ISFP mush choose variable actions and be REWARDED for doing them.” They must be free, and validated in their pursuit of their freedom.
Which is pretty much what every single one of these ladies articulated, in their own way, in their interviews. Although I agree with the litany of respondents that had the ladies pegged as ESFPs as well…people of action. Warm, attractive, friendly, theatrical, witty,….people’s people, par excellence. But these ladies, in my opinion, lack the nerves of steel that true ESFPs have; the Devil May Care attitude towards where their interactions are going. These ladies all seem to be slightly concerned about where the interviewer is taking them. Contrast that with the ISFP tendency to deflect until the heat is off, and go back to doing whatever they want to do (action) of the moment. Which makes sense, of course, only to them, in that moment.
So, I think one is wise not to misinterpret the ISFPs deflection and somewhat combativeness (when pushed, like a cornered cat) with the NTs self-assured nature. The ISFP comes across as demanding, choleric, and self-assured, but it’s only (at best) out of self-preservation. Couple that with the NTs ability to be confident, assured, and basically lock-on to someone. Someone’s gaze, someone’s line of questioning. The NT is not at all concerned where the conversation is going. They’re either steering it or they’re placating (such as in an interview) to be polite.
Again, Keirsey, “The NT loves intelligence, which means: doing things well under varying circumstances. He must be competent, capable, able, skilled—[he must] have a repertoire. He must master understanding of all objects and event both physical and metaphysical, in whatever domain he stakes out. Because of the NTs passion for KNOWING, he can can develop a large repertoire of competencies by the time he finishes his formal education. Perhaps, more than any other style, NTs live in their work. To them, work is play and play is work. NTs focus on the future, regarding the past as something dead and gone.”
He further goes on to explain, specifically, the Ni function of the INTJ, “The most important function of the INTJ is introverted intuition, but this is seldom SEEN. Rather, the function of thinking is used to deal with the world and with people. Being the most independent of all types, they have a strong need for autonomy; indifference or criticism from people in general does not particularly bother INTJs, if they believe they are right.”
So, I don’t see any NTJ traits (let alone NT traits) in Judy, or frankly any of these ladies, except Jodie; maybe, maybe, Hillary Swank. I would say the only other type that would be so scholastically minded, and such an overachiever in the pursuit of knowledge of all things, while contextualizing “service-minded” people working in a system, and making changes to a people-based system; able to shape-shift around an interview, other than the type INTJ, would be an INFJ (Kurt Cobain comes to mind; a brilliant interview subject, as if he cared). If all the other ladies must be the same personality type, other than the one INTJ (as Blake’s rules dictate), there are no other NTJ outliers in the group, other than Jodie. The rest, I still contend, based on further research, are ISFPs or maybe ESFPs (but definitely SFPs). But Jodie definitely is NOT an SP, so she’s ruled out on that merit from the rest of the group, for me.
Niki, in the first interview, Judy doesnât seem to be complaining about a lack of freedom given to her by the directors. Sheâs just objectively describing the experiences she had with certain directors. She speaks of it all very detachedly, and with a bit of dry humor (which I love and recognize as INTJ-brand) and not at all like sheâs recalling an emotionally painful experience where she felt like her Fi values of freedom of expression were being trod upon. The interviewer prompts her to talk more about directors and how they can be âfascistâ when he says to her, âmany of them are like that, arenât they?â She could have responded from a subjective, emotionally-laden and value-based perspective, but she didnât. Instead, she entertains the subject that heâs chosen and delves into a very reasonable, thoughtful, objective analysis of different directing styles and the benefits of each, based on her own experiences. When she speaks of the director who was very technical in his direction to her, she says that while she does appreciate the technical guidance, emotional input would ALSO be helpful. The director was falling short in that regard. Not that she was annoyed – itâs just that when INTJs see room for improvement by someone whoâs directing them, they will point it out. They value competency, in themselves and others. When she says the most important thing a director can do is to make the actor feel âfreeâ, I think she means that there should be a priority on not making the the actor feel creatively trapped. From a simply rational point of view, this would not be conducive to acting because it hinders performance. I think sheâs more trying to illustrate that too much emotional OR technical input would amount to this effect of not having an actor feel âfree to be creativeâ. Itâs not a value-based thing, it seems like sheâs approaching it from a rational point of view.
Contrary to what Iâd said in an earlier comment, she doesnât seem uncomfortable in this video. I donât see those behavioral cues you mention as social discomfort. I see it as evidence of a responsive, active and synthetic mind. I think she sometimes struggles to verbalize what sheâs saying but thatâs something that INTJs and other iNtuitives are known to struggle with, not because they donât know what to say but because they need to find a way to properly formulate their complex thoughts in a way others can understand. I think INTJs are very particular about word choice and making sure that they are clear and that they are conveying precisely what they mean to.
When the interviewer pays her a very generous comment on her performance in the first video, she doesnât blush, she doesnât avert her gaze while he pays her the compliment, she listens to what heâs saying without any false modesty or embarrassment. She doesnât even thank him, instead she is considering what he is saying to see if she agrees with it as having any validity. Her opinion, over anyone elseâs. Not fazed by criticism or compliment. That is so INTJ. In that same video, and on the topic of the last director she worked with, when asked whether that director gave her enough freedom she said, ânot, always, no, BUTâ – and then she went on to give more objective analysis on the directorâs style of directing, again not at all emotionally dwelling on it from a subjective, values-based perspective. She is very, very fair and objective about it all. She ends by saying she favored that last director because he walked a very fine line between giving her enough freedom and giving her enough direction and she emphasizes the importance of both as a way of getting the best performance out of actors in general (objective), not just her (subjective).
In the second video, the subjects Judy talks about reminds me of Blake’s article, “INTJ, INTP, and The Two Forms of Ti (+ Te)” where he talks about INTJs and their tendency to be interested in the social sciences.
Niki, I’m with you. Jordan makes a most excellent argument for why Judy is the INTJ and her logic is great and difficult to argue with. However, there is something indescribable that keeps me from believing she is an INTJ. As for the others, I can buy SF for the others, but I’m hard pressed to find them all the same type. Some seem definitely introverted (Danes, Paltrow, Stiles, Davis). Some seem extroverted (Graham, Diaz)
The only one who seems to speak of the future and natural at projecting herself into the future is Jody Foster, but Blake said that those of us who said the INTJ was Jody were wrong, so if he is speaking the truth and not impishly working to misguide us, Jordan may have chosen correctly. I think Judy is more emotional and less detached from the influence of others than I would expect an INTJ to be, but I could be seeing things incorrectly.
My INTJ choices ranked: 1. Jodie Foster 2. Julia Stiles 3. Judy Davis.
It’s interesting that you have such an different take on Judy’s responses and demeanor than I do! This is why I love Blake’s blog. I think Judy is pretty much doing nothing but complaining about that director. Yes, she’s being calm about it, this could be her demure English (show no overt emotion) societal influence, or, it could be the detachment of an SP not having an outlet for their expression, and choosing their words carefully. My mother is an ISFP and I can tell you, I have never met a single individual (other than other ISFPs haha) that CHOOSE their words more carefully than she does. She talks sllllllooooowwwly, and is very deliberate. Very. Deliberate. And calm, but cannot be caught off guard. Then it’s fight or flight. Full on evasiveness (eyes, posture) or she’ll attack in an effort to get you to back off so she can run and hide. Yes, SPs (ISFPs in particular, but ESFPs also) are very much able to give extraordinarily reasonable/rational and thoughful analysis about things that they have had time to process/analyze.
You’ll start to notice though, that an ISFPs reasonable, thoughtful rationalizations pertain to how something/someone is affecting them. Most often, these musings pertain to how someone has affected them previously. They love to mull over how other people could have given them more, done them better. They’re sort of the victims of archetypes. So, Judy says to her director, ‘The way you’re directing is great and all, but it’s just not working for me. I need more emotional input.’ I.e: ‘what you’re doing doesn’t work for ME, so change’. And of course, we’ll never know if the conversation in the moment was so rational, or if she threw a holy shit fit and stormed off, but now, with the benefit of time and hindsight, she is able to rationally recall events not exactly as they occurred in the moment.
An INTJ, by contrast, will surely pin point other’s weaknesses or where they’re “lacking” in their overall direction or management style, however (and this is the big difference), it has less to do with how it affects the INTJ, and more to do with how it affects the system as a whole, and the quality of the end result. An INTJ will never take umbrage with an individual not doing them right. They’ll simply walk away (dismissed!) or, if they have to work with such a disappointing person, they will actually work with the person.
In other words, an INTJ would never say, “Thanks for the technical direction, but I need emotional input as well.” INTJs don’t need emotional input or direction from anyone. Dominat Ni takes care of that, nicely. An INTJ would say, “Thanks for the technical direction. I get what you’re saying, I just don’t see how this is going to come to fruition, let’s come at this from a different angle and see how fine-tuned we can get this.” or….”Thanks for the technical aspects of the scene. But let me ask you, how do you think the emotions of the character should be played out at this part of the movie…keeping in mind her emotional journey throughout the entire film as the end result.”
The difference is that the INTJ will work to problem solve with someone that they aren’t jiving with. They will figure out, much like an INFJ, what the end-goal of the other person is and work to bring that to fruition, regardless of the other person’s temperament or style. INTJs play to the people around them, not the other way around. It’s because it’s all a learning experience. An INTJ meets someone that is approaching something all “wrong” and realizes, there is no “wrong” way to do subjective things (like film, art, etc.) Who can judge that? No one. So the INTJ will saddle up for the journey with this person that they don’t understand, because they will inevitably learn something. They almost want to get thrown into a situation where they have to bridge a gap between themselves and someone else. And they will rationally work to troubleshoot, but only as it pertains to the greater good of the long-term; the quality of the finished product. They don’t need any validation, support or affirmation from a director or manager.
Their troubleshooting is pointed outward toward the group, not inward toward how it affects them. They could really care less if someone came at them technically or emotionally. It wouldn’t even be something that would be discussed during an interview. They would rather talk about what they learned FROM the director who was so different than what they expected, what they accomplished with the director, the tone of the film, the layers, the reasons behind the reasons, wink-wink. And they would never be at a loss for words, or choose their words carefully. INTJs can speak off the cuff like they were born to do it. Because they were. The deeper the conversation, the faster and more expressively they conversate. It’s exciting for them. Physically and emotionally exciting. Anyway, I don’t think it’s necessary to go through the general traits of an NT (NTJ) again as I did it my last post, but I still don’t see any of that in Judy, regardless of if she’s coming across as thoughtful or rational in the interview. However, I love our differing perspectives!
Sorry, my last post was pertaining to Jordan’s response (I didn’t realize Rita had commented as well).
Rita, yes, I agree with you completely. I think Blake is being impish. #friskyblake
My second choice for INTJ is also Julia Stiles. She seemed very Fi, but also related her experiences with a more outwardly focused perspective. And she seems the most self-assured to the point of passive of the group, other than Jodie, which I think is common with INTJs being questioned by some insipid late night talk show host just digging for ratings. She is the only other one that speaks with very private, broad strokes about herself personally (in other words, how she relates to the rest of her community, both in the Habitat for Humanity project and when she was at her Charter high school where she was a minority and tried to bridge the gap between cultures), instead of how things affected her, what she’s had to do, how people have treated her, how hard this or that was, etc. đ
Hereâs how I saw it: Judy sits in an interview, the director prompts her to talk about her experiences with directors, she thinks back and thinks of the varying directing styles sheâs worked with. Along the way, she recalls one that gave her too much freedom and one that gave her not enough. This sounds pretty balanced. If she just mentioned one or the other, then you might think she just has a hang up and has a control problem and cannot work with others unless they operate on her terms. But, because she cited BOTH extremes as examples of directing styles that she thinks are not conducive to performance, I donât think you can come to the conclusion that her problem is that she needs to have things done HER way, i.e. âI need freedomâ or âI need proper direction.â Maybe thatâs a weak argument. She could have a goldilocks complex where her way of doing things can never be satisfied so she finds fault in everything everyone does. Which is fair game! I canât really deny that (even though she doesnât strike me that way đ )
But Iâm also considering the way she spoke about directors. You say that ISFPs always find a way to relate things back to themselves. Sure, Judy was using her experiences as examples, but even in doing so she actually tended to bring everything back to an objective stance: that of the most general actorâs relationship to the director, and what makes for a good relationship. As you say is customary of INTJs, she tends to speak to the big picture, âthe quality of the end resultâ (an actorâs performance), only speaking of herself for example.
Yes, I completely agree with you that INTJs are very, very willing to work with others, and everything you said about INTJs and learning. But, if we imagine that Judy really did have an exceptionally controlling director (as well as an exceptionally non-controlling one, which she also said could be a hindrance), it doesnât seem so unreasonable that she mentions it in an interview where she is discussing differing directing styles. I still think that she was very objective and fair and unemotional in her analysis and theory on what makes for a good actor-director relationship (I also still see it as that rather than complaining!). I know you said that ISFPs can appear this way, but how do you assume that somebody is simply appearing to be logical and reasonable rather than actually being so? Similarly, we donât know how Judy handled this situation with the âoverly-technicalâ director; maybe she went about it the way you think an INTJ would: cooperative, and âworking to problem-solveâ, instead of demanding and stubborn. Canât really say for sure either way.
And itâs not that Judy chose the subject of difficult directors. The interviewer steered her to talking about how some directors can be controlling. And so she cites her own experiences, and then turns the discussion into more of a theoretical and objective nature concerning optimal actor-director relationships.
Also Niki, I love it, too! Thanks for responding!
Jordan, Yes! I totally see what you’re saying. It’s like, she tried to balance one against the other to show the point/counter-point and land somewhere in the rational middle ground. I read her as so much more…spiteful, frankly, for how she was not given what she needed, it seemed, in both scenarios (as you said, too much freedom, too little freedom = when will it ever be good enough = Goldilocks)
And I wonder if that is indicative of the INTJ, the professional critic, the unapologetic malcontent. It’s like “it’s good…but could always be just a little better, and let me explain how.” Yes, that is definitely a facet of the INTJ. The thing that really throws me about her is she doesn’t project forward into the future. She doesn’t live in the future. INTJs are like, que sera sera about what has happened, and what will be, they just take-away from the experience. They only need a mirage of an endpoint to apply what they’ve learned from their experience (even if they’ve learned what NOT to do, which is often the case haha). I just don’t see that perspective in Judy, while I see it in Jodie…this hyper obsessive compulsion to share what she’s learned as part of a role, a community in the making of a film, and relate that to points in the future, yet to be determined. The greater expanse of the world, whatever that might be.
But, you’ve totally made me consider Judy’s interviews in a completely different way, and maybe see her obvious Fi through some sort of Ni vision. So, thank you!!! đ I just wish there was evidence of her learning experiences, and her pointing toward the future, like there was in the Jodie interview…all so indicative of Ni through an extroverted judging function (INTJ/INFJ). I think Blake has definitely had some fun with this…and so have we đ
They are all ENFJs, with the exception of Julia Stiles, who is the INTJ. I think the clue was in the fact that they are all actresses – and all transmit Ni which is backed up by the Fe dominant. For the stronger actresses, even moreso – hence everyone is leaning toward Jodie Foster, Hillary Swank, and/or Judy Davis as the INTJs – because we can visibly see the introverted intuition that they possess. Another hint was in the fact that Jodie changes dramatically from her 17-year-old self to her (30-something?) self: she seems less interested in accruing outer achievements and more interested in understanding those around her. This, to me, would show a growth in the use of her auxiliary (which is, by my lights, Ni). Likewise, the airier, more “superficial” types here (Heather Graham, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz to some extent) could be bypassing the auxiliary. Another reason why I’m leaning ENFJ is because of the masculine quality a lot of these woman share – not in physical appearance, but in the sense of ambiguity regarding identity that they assume. It feels almost like a posture, but I think ENFJs tend to have this kind of dual quality. However, an INTJ wouldn’t communicate this intuition, as this is the dominant function for them – they would communicate Te (the auxiliary), which would give off a robotic, terse, more alienating quality, especially in an interview setting. Julia Stiles seems the most ill at ease of all the interviewees as well, and is one of the weaker actresses of the group. It’s like she is working harder to communicate. I think maybe the point of this exercise was to show the difference between a function operating in the dominant versus the auxiliary? And that ENFJs are tricky as hell to identify?
You make a good case, and you could be right. (Certainly I agree about Julia Stiles.) I still think we’re seeing auxiliary Fi, not Ni, but I’m a fair bit less than certain.
It could be we’re seeing a spectrum of ENFJs where one end resembles ENFP, or vice versa. If you arbitrarily put them in order, using whatever criteria you wish, how would you do it? My spectrum might look like: [more ENFP] Davis – Garner – Diaz – Paltrow – Danes – Swank – Graham – Foster [more ENFJ].
Jennifer Garner is the INTJ – her thinking process never stops, she is never going inward to feel things vs. other women you can actually see them feeling stuff. I could be totally off base though and I am dying to know what Blake says!
she is too…. um…. loud to be an INTJ I think. She is right in the face of her interviewer at one point.
“They are all ENFJs” That is so interesting heyheyhey. I am going to rewatch all the videos and see if I see this. What I would expect is a lack of comfort being asked opinions. Some ENFJs I know have a hard time having opinions. Stresses out their Ti a bit.
Lunar, really? The ENFJs that I have known have been fairly directive and bossy. I love them dearly, but they aren’t shy about coming up with and stating an opinion. I find them a lot like me, but just more so. They appear warmer than I do and they would say I appear softer. Sometimes I think they are too fast to opine and want to move forward with a plan without complete consideration, but they are not intransigent if adjustments need to be made. They are slow to share information about themselves though and will make it more about others. They are super other oriented people.
I went through the videos trying to see how many could be explained by ENTJ. And it seemed okay fit. Not too bad. Explains some of the variety (more reserved as well as in your face). Cerebral/jokster etc. And explains the business tendencies.
Hi Rita, yes I’ve had that experience. What is your opinion or why do you have that opinion? I often sense discomfort with that. I mean they are super expressive:) And often will say what they believe about other people especially as concerns how they are treating each other. But if you ask them why they have an opinion about a matter, I often sense a reluctance to give an answer…..
hillary swank’s warmth stands out compared to the others
The onliest configuration that makes sense to me:
Cameron Diaz – INTJ
Everybody else – ESTJ
Jodie Foster seems, to me, to be the clearest Ni dominant of the lot. There is an intense and distinctly focused element that you can discern from observing two main areas of her persona (as captured here) in particular: her countenance (it’s hard for me to articulate other than to say she holds herself with an aura of dignity and is fully comfortable with the concept of self-endorsement), and the focus of her rhetoric in terms of priorities/worldview. Very independent. Only clear Fi user (and Fe PoLR if we’re going there because she seems to not give a fuck, or perhaps has a blind spot to the social niceties).
Also, Jodie seems to notice patterns (Ni) when discussing the “essence” of a good actor/actress. And, as a side note, I find it interesting that each definition has its own distinct gender specific criteria (may be related to inferior Se? but who knows).
All the others if I had to pick one type seem ESFJ with that Si warmth and Ne silliness/quirkiness but some more than others. And very clear Fe in terms of emotional expression and interaction with (and response to) the interviewers.