Sam Amico
There was a time when actress Jane Fonda was known for her women’s rights activism and aerobics workout videos. And, of course, for being an actress.
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Now, though, she’s mostly known for being 85 years old and proud of it.
Fonda, the widow of late television tycoon Ted Turner, actually has four movies out — this year alone. One of which is a sequel to the 2019 rom-com Book Club, also starring friends Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen. This installment, entitled Book Club: The Next Chapter, was filmed in Italy.
“It’s everything I imagined women’s friendships can be,” Fonda said, via People. “When I was younger, there was this assumption that women were kind of catty and four stars working together wouldn’t work because they’d be competing, and it’s just not true. We’re friends and we love working together and we help each other when we need to.”
It’s lasting friendships and making films that Fonda said have her feeling “the happiest I’ve ever been.”
She has the energy to support such a notion too, according to Next Chapter director Bill Holderman, who watched Fonda take over both the set and perhaps Italy during filming for the movie. For starters, she was up at 6:00 a.m. and exploring the city.
“She came back and said, ‘I just got 11,000 steps!’ She’s a sponge for information,” Holderman said. “By the end of filming, Jane probably knew more about the gelato shops in Rome than the Romans.”
Mostly, Fonda said that growing older helps you keep perspective.
“A bad thing happens, and you think, ‘Well, that’s happened before, and I’m fine. I’ll get over it,'” she said. “You know what’s important. I spent a lot of time like a canoe with no paddle being carried in the current. As I got older, I learned I’m going to put an oar in the water and steer.”
