Jane Fonda Says She's "The Happiest" She's Ever Been at 85
She says her life is easier now.
Jane Fonda, 85, has been very open about her experience of aging over the years—specifically the many joys of it.
The Grace and Frankie actress has often said that she loves her life now so much more than she did as a young person, when everything seemed strange and confusing. And while she's battled many hardships, Fonda is always sure to extend gratitude for the many beautiful parts of her life as well.
"I was pretty lost as a young person, and I didn't know what I wanted to do," Fonda admitted in an interview with People, while promoting her upcoming movie Book Club: The Next Chapter.
"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? Who should I meet?' You just don't know. I didn't anyway."
The star also admitted that she struggled a lot with self-esteem when she was younger.
"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," she explained.
"I wish that someone had said to me 'no' is a complete sentence, and also I wish that somebody had said to me, 'Don't give up. Keep going. It'll get better.'
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"Because I saw no future. I didn't think I would live past 30. 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."
Fonda appeared on the Call Her Daddy podcast earlier this year, and echoed the sentiment she shared with People.
"Most of the hardships that I’ve gone through in my life happened earlier in my life," she said at the time.
"I suffered bulimia very, very bad. I led a secret life. I was very, very unhappy. I assumed I wouldn’t live past 30. I’m 85."
As Fonda said, she's thriving now. This year alone, she's already appeared in the movie 80 for Brady with Lily Tomlin, and Book Club 2 will be released on May 12.
This sequel to the 2018 movie stars Mary Steenburgen, Diane Keaton and Candice Bergen, and sees the four book club members travel to Italy together for various comedic adventures. Should make for joyful easy watching.
Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.