Jodie Foster Confronts Snake Fear.

Actress Jodie Foster confronted her lifelong fear of snakes on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on Monday (31Mar08).Foster was promoting her new adventure movie Nim's Island on the show, in which she plays a woman suffering from various phobias.After discovering Foster's real fear, presenter Leno gave her the opportunity to confront it in front of an audience of millions - by producing a corn snake for her to stroke.She explained, "I am afraid of snakes. When I was a kid, my brothers and sisters would hold me down by my arms and tell me, 'There are snakes in your bed'."After petting the non-venomous snake for a few seconds, the uncomfortable star handed it back to Leno, explaining her fear: "It's a nice colour. But it's the tongue thing, and the clamminess."Meanwhile Jodie Foster has to turn to yoga, the gym and hiking in a bid to calm her neuroses - or she'd go mad when her quirky household rules are broken.The Oscar winner admits she can be a tyrant around the house, because she's particular about so many things.She explains, "I have a lot of anal habits - I squeegee out my shower every single time I take it. And I'm just a dictator about my cappuccino maker - nobody else is allowed to touch it because they don't clean it up properly.

"I also like my towels folded in thirds and when the kids don't (do that), I'm like, 'Well, use your own towels. Don't use my towels!' "The way I cope with all my neuroses is I just get out of my head - go to the gym, ski or do yoga or hike."