Jonathan Mendelsohn
Legendary actress Jane Fonda, 85, is still experiencing a fruitful career, having just acted in the comedy film 80 For Brady and the upcoming sequel film Book Club: The Next Chapter, which will be released in theaters on May 12. Fonda recently opened up to people regarding her experience with self-image issues early on in her career.
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Fonda, who hails from a very famous family of actors and entertainers, told People, “Being young is really hard. Don’t let anyone kid you. I wish when I was younger, someone had said to me, ‘Don’t give up. Keep going. It’ll get better.'”
Jane Fonda Reveals Struggles in Her Youth
Fonda, who started a workout video craze with the release of Jane Fonda’s Workout after starring in several well-known films, told People that she once wasn’t very confident, and never even wanted an acting career. She said, “Young me did not want to be an actor. I didn’t think I had talent. I didn’t think I was pretty enough. I had a lot of body dysmorphia. I was pretty lost as a young person.”
In regards to Fonda’s success from her workout videos, she said women would frequently tell her how much the videos impacted them, which meant a lot to the actress. She told People, “So many women said to me, ‘My whole attitude about myself changed.’ That meant the world to me.” Fonda released 22 workout videos between 1982 and 1995, which in total sold over 17 million copies. Fonda reportedly developed the original video after she took exercise classes that helped her overcome her struggles with bulimia.
Fonda says she has really come into her own as the years have gone by, and she feels much more content. She stated, “Who am I? What am I supposed to do in life? All of that has been answered. I don’t take anything for granted, and I’m just amazed that at my age I’m still working and have a lot of energy. It’s all a surprise to me.”
