At ‘80 and a half,’ Fonda says she’s still learning
BEVERLY HILLS, California — Jane Fonda may have already lived a life that can fill five acts in a documentary film, but she’s not done yet.
The legendary actress and activist is seeing her story play out on-screen in HBO’s new documentary, Jane Fonda in Five Acts, debuting Sept. 24.
At the Television Critics Association summer press tour last week, Fonda, now “80-and-a-half” as she described herself, reflected on her life story, both the fond memories and regrets.
“Prior to becoming a Vietnam War activist, I had lived an interesting life, but a meaningless life,” she said. “I was a pretty girl who made movies, kind of hedonistic. So when I decided to throw in my lot with the anti-war movement, everything shifted.”
She added that Vietnam veterans often still come up to speak with her, sometimes expressing negative views about her actions.
“I like it when they come to me and it’s not positive, because it’s an opportunity to talk.”
Fonda expressed, as she does in the documentary, regret about the infamous photo of her sitting on a Vietcong gun. “I’m just so sorry that I was thoughtless enough to sit down on that gun at that time, and the message that sends to the guys who were there at that time and their families.”
And Fonda is still learning and changing.
“I try to listen more than I talk,” she says. “That’s one important thing that I’ve learned. I wouldn’t use the word ‘revolution’ now. I’m constantly changing.
“I still have a few decades to go if I’m lucky. Why be alive if you’re not learning? You may not be able to make your life longer, but you can make it deeper and wider.”
One project making her life deeper and wider is a sequel to her hit comedy 9 to 5, which is expected to feature Fonda and original co-stars Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton.
The film was about issues women face in the workplace, a topic that has become even more newsy in recent months after the MeToo movement surfaced. Fonda thinks it’s even harder for women today than in 1980.
“I’m sorry to say that the situation is worse today,” she says. “Back in the day, the company was called Consolidated, which it still is in the new one. You were hired by the company and complained to the company. Today, much of the company is hired by a subcontractor,” which complicates worker complaints.
She added that social media and technology will play a role. “With social media everything is spied upon, so it’s much worse.”
But she did have some positive thoughts about how things have changed, especially in the wake of MeToo. “I do think that sexual harassment tends to drop because guys are scared.”
And that’s something she says the new film will definitely address. If it doesn’t, “I don’t plan on being in it,” she said.