Jane Fonda on Why at 85 She’s the Happiest She’s Ever Been: "Life Gets Better With Age" | PEOPLE

I didn't think I'd be alive at almost 86 years old I mean I just need to pinch myself all the time that I'm so blessed to be healthy enough to keep working and lucky enough to keep being offered nice parts and this is all a big surprise to me [Music] you know I'm almost 86 and I feel about 80. you know I mean your body does start to kind of give way little by little in all kinds of big ways and little ways and and I'm I'm in the middle of that and I'm very aware

of it when I say I feel 80 that it doesn't feel old you know my dad died 10 years younger than I am now and he seemed so much older than I seem and it's because he was Ill he had a heart disease I don't have diseases I've had cancer but that's different I'm basically a healthy person and and so that's what makes me seem younger than my actual numerical age is because I'm healthy and I have good posture well see young me did not want to be an actor I did not I'm not one

of those who grew up wanting wanting to perform wanting to be an actor I I didn't think that I had talent I didn't think I was pretty enough I had a lot of body dysmorphia kind of things and um my dad Henry Fonda of course was was an actor but he never brought Joy home I never felt that he got joy I believe that he did actually but it never manifested when he came home so it was not like oh my God I want what he's got I'm you know I know it's just that I

I got fired as a secretary because I wouldn't sleep with my boss that's true um I didn't know what else I could do and I became friends with Susan Strasberg the daughter of the famous acting coach Elise rosberg and she told me that I should try to do an interview with him and maybe he would accept me into his class and I did and he did and then he told me I had Talent nobody had ever said that to me so it was that kind of did it I was pretty lost as a young person

and I didn't know what I wanted to do I wish that someone had said Being Young is really hard don't let anybody kid you it's like what am I supposed to do what do I want who am I what am I who should I meet what you just don't know I didn't anyway um another thing I didn't have a very high regard for myself and so if anybody asked me for anything or offered me something I didn't know how to say no so I wish that someone had said to me no it's a complete sentence

and also I wish that somebody had said to me don't give up keep going it'll get better because I saw no future I didn't think I would live past 30. that's why I'm so I mean I don't take anything for granted I'm just so amazed that at my age I'm still working and a viable performer and I still have a lot of energy it just all became a surprise to me where are you I'm in a church what are you serious we're looking for a venue for the wedding you're going to get married in a

church I'm shocked you didn't burst into flames as you cross the threshold we had such a good time making the first one and we were on our way to Las Vegas to promote it and we started talking about well if there was a sequel and I think it was uh candy Bergen who said let's do it in Italy and we have to have a scene where the four of us have to run which kind of we did and it's very funny and then Mary plays the accordion and so we wanted to make sure that we

had a scene in Italy where she plays the accordion and it actually happened and uh we were there for two and a half months I mean somebody's got to do it right two months in in Rome and then a couple of weeks in in Venice and it we had a blast it was all of the eating of the pasta and the ice creams and we had the greatest men Italian men working with us in this movie oh my God wonderful men I don't know there's so many good scenes the main difference between between this book

club this the book club the next chapter and the first one is in the first one we each had our own story with our husbands or lovers or would-be lovers or on whatever and then we would only all come together when we were actually having a book club right whereas this one we're all together all the time and I think that's why I think it's more fun it's a funnier movie than the first one we're best friends for 50 years and you married marriage my solo act is finally coming to a close you know me

and candy and Mary steenbergen and Diane Keaton we've been seeing a lot of each other and we get along really well and it was really uh you know a dream come true you're sitting across from Diane Keaton and thinking of her and Godfather and her in any Hall and her and all the other great movies that she's done and the tremendous Legacy that she has and you want to pinch yourself oh my God I'm working with Diane Keaton and and Candy Bergen you know I went back and saw carnal knowledge and all the movies that

she was in and it was just I don't know it was it was a great experience we all miss it a lot back in the day when I was younger we there was this assumption that women were kind of Catty and women four stars working together wouldn't work because they'd be competing and all of this and it's just not true it's just not true you know we're friends and we love working together and we help each other when we need to and it's everything that I imagine women's friendship can be [Music] people say what is

on your bucket list you know or what what do you what do you want to do I don't know I really don't know I'm spending the next year and a half focused entirely on the climate crisis and so I know one thing that what I hope is that our president does what he promised on the campaign Trail and really steps up to the plate which he hasn't yet and I hope that we can all be brave enough to do what it takes to turn it around before catastrophe that's my hope it's really my only focus

right now I mean the world is being threatened nature the oceans forests air the water human life is being threatened and it's not just that I have grandkids but I I love this planet I love people and I love animals and birds and fish and whales and reindeer and polar bears and I just want to do everything I can to to make sure that there's a future that we would want to live in and that the other creatures will also be with us there because it's all interconnected and I just can't imagine not doing all

that when I'm not active fighting the climate crisis I get really depressed because I read the science and I know what's happening and it's urgent and it's could become catastrophic and so it's just inconceivable to me to not do everything that I can my language I mean I'm pretty glad I won two Oscars I'd be lying if I said I wasn't because it really helps it does it does you know when you're being introduced and someone says two Oscars the audience tends to pay more attention I think I don't know so you know I'm I'm

proud that I've done work that my fellow thespians felt merited my receiving an Oscar twice and I'm proud of my activism I'm also proud that my family is pretty good and healthy and good values and decent people