Fonda, 80, told she’s ‘too old’ for movie role

THEY are Oscar-winning actresses with glittering careers.

But Jane Fonda, 80, pictured, and Diane Keaton, 72, were told they were too old to star in their latest film, prompting Miss Fonda to brand ageism in Hollywood ‘alive and well’.

The veteran stars appear alongside Mary Steenburgen, 65, and Candice Bergen, 72, in Book Club, a film about four older friends who reinvigorate their sex lives after reading Fifty Shades Of Grey.

But its creators were forced to make the film independently after studio executives demanded they cast younger stars.

Director Bill Holderman said studios had applied a ‘tremendous amount of pressure’ to reduce the ages of the characters to their late 40s, despite pitching the two widely-recognisable stars.

Fitness guru and activist Miss Fonda, who won Oscars with Coming Home and Klute, said: ‘It’s an industry that’s very much driven by youth and beauty. Ageism is alive and well. I think that’s beginning to change though.’