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THE NEW YEAR AND BEING 80

Me with grandkids on my birthday

Me with grandkids on my birthday

(I’m not old, I’m perennial)

It’s the last day of 2017 and I’ve been 80 for 10 days. Here’s what’s bad about being 80:
I can’t run
I can’t ski
It’s hard handwriting thank-you letters which is the polite way to do it
(osteoarthritis is responsible for all the above)

Here’s what’s good about being 80:
People are solicitous, asking if I want to sit.
They open bottles for me and let me go first.
I don’t get groped or harassed
I can fall back on “Well, I’m old,” to justify mistakes
My strong muscles which have always been there have suddenly become a remarkable anomaly to people who hug me
I’m viewed as an elder (even though I feel like a newbie)
I can look back over 8 decades and hence can remember:
When song birds and empty spaces were plentiful
When there were only 2 billion people in the world and consequently less stress, clean air and water, way less traffic, more opportunity to pull yourself up by your bootstraps
When it was safe for a kid to play alone, outside, in the street or the forest
All the challenges and tradegies that I survived (hence, I know I can again)
How to make lemons into lemonade & not sweat the small stuff

Also,
I’m less scared of embracing uncertainty
I’ve had time to learn to forgive and the time to reflect and learn from my experiences
I know what I need so I can jettison what is unnecessary
I’m less susceptible to stress (“This too shall pass”)
I no longer hold grudges (with the exception of Henry Kissinger and Dick Cheney both of whom I still believe should be tried for crimes against humanity)
I’ve learned to be more tolerant and patient
I have less ego stake in outcomes
I know there are many things that I will never do or do again and it doesn’t matter (start a new business, go to Myanmar, drive a Ferrari, learn to sail, get married, etc)

So, for me, there’s way more positives than negatives about being smack dab in the midst of oldness. But then, I have my health.

One more thing: There has never been a time in my 80 years when I have felt what I’m feeling today: utter terror that our country is being taken into a possible dictatorship, with a KGB-type intelligence/surveillence; that poor people, people of color, formerly well-paid blue collar working people, will never again be able to afford good schooling, a home, health care, freedom from violence and stress and that too many won’t even know it’s happening because they aren’t getting true news/facts.

2017 showed us—at least those of us who are still able and willing to access truthful news—that the threats to our democracy and to our environment are far worse than any of us dared imagine. The seeds of fascism are all around us.

So my plea to those who follow me on social media is to harness every ounce of your abilities, imagination and courage to do all that you can, in collaboration with others, to stop the destruction of Democracy and civil society. Join others in non-violent efforts not just to resist but to transform the social and political landscape. I am doing it by working with groups on the ground in various parts of the country who go door to door, finding out what people are worried about and helping them understand why those now in power do not intend to help them. Quite the opposite. There are so many people and organizations out there working to educate potential voters and to build long-term people’s movements with the aim of establishing a vibrant, democratic civil society. We must make it possible for single mothers to earn a living wage and have access to affordable child care; do away with mass incarceration and the privatization of prisons; sexual harassment and violence against women must end; former unionized workers must be retrained for the new economy and given jobs not promises; student debt must be forgiven and schools must be improved for all young people; our public lands must be protected and all forms of extraction halted; racism must be made a shameful (and acknowledged) part of our past. There is so much to be done and all of it is possible if all of us can muster the will and determination to fight back against what’s happening.

Greed and selfishness are not the pillars of a stable society so let’s be fierce in this New Year.

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195 Comments

  1. Važená Lady Jane.jste krásná a krásná budete i pro dalši generace.Vaše srdce je na správném místě.cit a lásku máte od boha a váš smysl pro demokracii je hoden prvni dámy a pro mě jste prvni dáma.milovat vás je jako sen o svobodě na celé zemi.přesto jste můj sen a vždy budete .Petr

  2. Watching Season 3 for third time…

  3. good day Lady Jane I wrote you on a blog in Czech. I can translate it if you did not understand. I thank Petr Šetek

  4. Facebook Petr Šetek cz city Střibro

  5. dear Jane I love my children and I wish my daughter Andrea to study in a country other than the Czech one. Great corruption and the superiority of people is uncontrollable and very complex for Dad. Andrea studies the second year of Charles University sport and goes to work to do it all I help but I can not help. I hope you can give your daughter a helping hand to go to work and study in the USA. In this country, I do not want to keep my children alive, I want them and I want them to know what your land is.

  6. My dearest Jane, may you count many more because you are a beautiful person and above all, becauae we and the world need you.
    I just got your signed photograph. I cannot express how grateful i am and touched by your gesture and about what you wrote me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you deeply and i will be forever grateful to have ‘known’ you. Thank you. Always with you. Always.
    LOVE
    Isabel xxx

  7. Im a big fan. I do your workouts literally everyday. Im 19 and no one my age knows who you are am its crazy, then I show them the original workout and the end up buying it! also I was curious who Leslie Lillian is and she is a doctor of some sorts now and literally looks exactly the same from the videos!

  8. Dear Jane, It’s amazing experience see you at Gracie&Frankie. The same energy and charming like the woman who’s gave us “Workout” with a”plus”…enjoy the moment.Love is everthing we need.That’s all! Love&Light

  9. I have reread this blog entry multiple times now because of how endlessly inspiring it is. Your activism and awareness regarding the worlds problems is simply awe-inspiring and as a young activist myself, it’s wonderful to read something so motivating and full of genius. xx

  10. Ms. Fonda,
    My best friend Stephanie and I are obsessed with you. We are in our late 30s. Much like Brandi we fell in love with you on Grace & Frankie. Thank you for all you do, you are an inspiration. xoxo
    Jessica

  11. Dear Jane,
    I think you are an amazing person! I have been a fan of your work in films for quite some time now but just recently started discovering the other work you have been doing with your non-profit organization and standing up for civil rights and womens rights. You are a true inspiration and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for helping to educate a generation of women and thank you for your hard work and dedication. You have inspired me to become more involved in what is happening in the world.
    A fun side note – I just found out you share the same birthday as my oldest daughter – cheers to winter solstice babies everywhere! 🙂
    Keep fighting the good fight!
    xoxo – Kimberly

  12. A little late but Happy Birthday Jane. I will never forget the time I spent with you in Vancouver. We continue to work for a better world. So glad you are always there with us. xoTyger

  13. Hi Jane,
    I have long admired you, but let’s say, from afar. Now I find you are a click away and I am grateful for that. I’ve gone from your films to your protests to your fitness tapes (Make it burn) – to Grace and Frankie, and there is so much still to discover. I will be 65 shortly and feeling it. Thank you for your wise words. They help.

  14. It’s funny about the interconnectedness of things. I’ve watched you in many movies over the years, but Grace and Frankie is the show that made me really interested to know more about you. That lead to Google searching, which led to your book Prime Time. I’m only 47, but around the time I turned 40, I went into a period of “existential depression” (mid-life crisis?) and have been hiding a lot of misery and confusion from my family and friends. I have no framework or blueprint for aging, or at least I hadn’t until I read your book. Thank you so, so much for writing that. It has helped me think much more deeply and in a more productive way about how I want to spend the rest of my second act and who I want to be in my third act. I have hope again, and I feel like I have you to thank for that. 🙂

  15. not a day goes by without @ least 1 thouggt about u & what kind of day u r having or had, the magic of yer amazing beauty still shines

  16. Dear Jane,
    It’s some time past the new year, but I hope this finds you well.
    One of the things I study is “life history” the processes of living organisms from conception to dissolution.
    female humans are unique in several ways, and every part of their lives is important, even vital, especially in the trying ties you’ve mentioned.
    People will notice some societies, like that of Orcas (whose brains are 5x our size, by the way), whose family groups are led by the eldest female (Elephants, with their constant migrations, also depend upon memory and the ability to evaluate gained only through experience).
    We differ in that human females experience menopause. this latter cessation is accompanied by some neurohormonal and some cognitive changes. I’ll just cut to the quick here, rather than write too much about the specifics:
    As you may know by now, women are the healing and assessing social glue of a community, having some acute perceptions of those with whom they meet. Women have an increased capacity to detect deception, for instance, and even by puberty are more skilled in language use than are males. These and other traits I may mention have been corroborated by scientific study, and deconflated with other traits.
    This innate skill is retained through a lifespan.
    that postmenopausal change is one particularly important in that females from the first, respond to stress through the colloquial “tend and befriend”. they are peacemakers, with greater courage in emotional understanding, restoring the bonds we call love.in all its forms.
    That menopause, you can see, was a release from self- and offspring-centeredness, into a more expansive inclusive role.
    Your choices of essay subjects clearly exhibit this increased capacity.
    as you grow along time, you become more never less, important to your intimates, all humans and much more: to all life you affect.
    Although you see some distressing things right now, be assured that, as a friend once mentioned to me: it’s only necessary that now and then you manifest this essence. You can trust in who and what yu are.
    As a social biologist, I have seen ALL the cognitive and physical interactions, emotinos, and disputes you see today, in many animals. In spite of our living through our imaginatin, rather than real sensory reality, we still do not differ from any other organism. even violence is mere pressure to disperse, shaped over milions of years in many animal species.
    N, there is nowhere to disperse any more, with all habitats being overfilled and/or overexploited.
    but empathy never leaves our heart, and all trage3dies reopen us. this is the nature of life; love could never have evolved without mortality.
    Many cultures teach the necessity of periodic solitude, essential for our kind.
    You will know well by now, that gratitude toward all other life and to the uplifting physical world for merely being, is both innate, and that attention to it are required. It only takes that periodic attention to the self in solitude to automatically become prominent . Gratitude, as you see, is not different than love. Trust is necessary, but you can notice that it is the preliminary feeling of the former two.
    all who have ever lived, shed, respire, breathe atoms and molecules, and these great and tiny cycles mean that we are composed of all others, who have gone, who live now, who will come. (I was petting a North American rhinoceros and sabretooth tiger skulls – both had lived tens of millions of years ago, in a far place, when I thought this. They had been born vulnerable, protected by their female parent and group, learned and basked in sun, and at every moment breathed what dispersed into us. THe redwoods here, whose single lives can last our entire written history, shelter those vibrant components of life, daily transforming new oxygen, some of which you breathe at this moment.
    There is more.
    We give at every moment. Nothing is as it was in the last or next; we are inherently sharing. This is what we are.

  17. I was watching your RuPaul video honoring him at The Hollywood wWalk Of Fame. I stated to realize how intelligent you’ve been in your life surrounding yourself with people who have helped you be who you are. Growing up Jane Fonda as you’ve written wasn’t a piece of cake, but with the people you allowed and wanted in your life brought you here to be one of the most respected human beings on this planet.
    Write a book about relationships and how they can help you be who we should be, Just like you!!!

  18. Dearest Jane,

    What more can be said about you? I’m so thankful my mother made my sisters and I do your workouts in middle school and directed our journey to health and fitness. I purchased and read your book, “Jane Fonda, My life so Far” and applaud on how you’ve lived your life under your own terms. Fascinating for a woman in your generation- Brava!
    This year I will turn 45 and fully agree with your sentiments about love, health and politics. Will you please write a book on how to prepare for menopause and other surprises?

    You are truly adored Ms. Fonda….

  19. Dear Jane,

    I just want to thank you for continuously inspiring people of all generations and backgrounds. I’m a millennial just entering her “second act” and I’ve just finished reading your autobiography. Your book is so honest and brave, and I’m thankful for this since it has helped me and countless other women (and men!) I’m sure. As a new PhD (Film, Media, Communication) who has taught Gender Studies Courses, I can say that readings from your book should be included on sylllabi and I will definitely do so in the future. I’m also very thankful for your chapters on your Vietnam, especially your discussion of recognizing the beauty of the people despite whatever may be going on politically. I work for the Russian American Foundation and I take preprofessional teenaged ballet students to Moscow for the summer to study at the Bolshoi Ballet School. They also begin to learn Russian, immerse themselves in the culture and interact with young Russians their age. Your emphasis on the importance of viewing civilians as people not so different from us (regardless of political circumstances) has reminded me how important it is for me to teach these young people to recognize stereotypes and propaganda, and that the people of a country should not be equated with its government. During this time of political turmoil between Russia and America, one must understand that it is possible to despise the leadership, while still adoring the country and its people.

    Finally, Thank you so much for Grace and Frankie! It is a wonderful and important show that teaches intersectionality and tackles ageism. (There are more and more presentations at academic conferences on Grace and Frankie!) Speaking of academic conferences, last month I moderated a panel on Feminisms in 1968 and one of the main topics was you and Barbarella. We had an interesting discussion and please know that you are very well-liked and respected in academia.

    I admire you very much as a person, actress, activist and humanitarian.

    Thank you for taking the time to read this blog despite your busy schedule.

    All the best to you!

    Jenny

  20. Dear Jane,

    I saw one of your interviews once that said you often recommend good books you enjoy to your close friends. I have run out of books to read lately and want something educational, preferably about feminism and/or politics. I was wondering if you have read anything lately you might want to recommend?

    Thanks, Erin xx

  21. Thanks for daring to be real in each epoch of your life – that’s real honesty. I haven’t always agreed with you but then, sometimes I can be pretty dumb too! Your craft as an actor has improved with age. I hope my craft as a Doctor has improved too. Keep telling your version of life and Ill keep telling mine, and I hope more people can tell theirs too so that we the people can have our voices heeded by the leaders we elect to represent us. Have a great year Jane.

  22. Dear Jane,
    Thanks for season four of Grace and Frankie. I learn a lot about acting from you two (I am a writer and an actor myself).

    I loved your reflection on being 80. Specially because, as I read it, I could see in your eyes what you meant. And I’ll explain this: we have seen you grow (not “grow old”, but GROW) on screen. When I was small, in the 80’s, in Chile we could often see you on films, in the afternoons (that’s how I saw 9 to 5–and I told you the story on how Dolly saved my adolescence with her boobs), and when I look into your eyes now, I can see you have forgiven and have let go. And that makes me very happy. It gives me hope that one day I’ll be able to do the same.

    And, regarding Trump, sometimes I think everybody is fighting him in the wrong arena. He’s not a politician, he is a media man, in a Kim Kardashian way. No strategies that worked to defeat the opposition before work with him. He markes–in my humble opinion–the death of politics as we knew them. Whatever political strategy is used against him, won’t work I think.

    He is not fighting agaist anyone, not even against Hillary Clinton, he is shinning. And that is very different. You can’t fight him with ideas or marches, or debates. You just need someone who shines more than him.

    Think about it: he doesn’t care about the bad press. For him, any appearence on the media, regardless of the issue, is a good thing. It makes him shine. Kim Kardashian can show us her ass, her boobs, dress like an aborigine and scandalize everyone in every way possible, and her fame is still untouchable. Because it’s not about content, it’s not about ideas or ideals, it’s about SHINNING.

    The world now is based on images, not ideas. This is not a fight you can win with speech. It’s a fight you win with projected images, with a PERSONA. Trump is not a person nor a politician, he is a persona. There’s a whole creative process behind his image. And I figured this out, because I have been obsessed with creative processes for a while now. I kept thinking creative processes withing the frame of art, but Trump opened my horizons XD

    If the US implodes, you are always welcome here in Chile 🙂

    Besos!

  23. Hey Jane I absolutely adore you and look to you as a vicarious mentor. Thank you for all you share about your life lessons. They mean a lot to me.

    One request however. You are also being a mentor for Christians, like me. I want to ask you to not accept it when scripts (like the last Season 4 episode of Grace and Frankie) ask your to use Christ’s name in vain. I apologize if I misheard you, but I thought you used Jesus Christ as an epithet. Please do better, because you are better in so many, many ways. ❤️

  24. Hello Ms Fonda:
    You are a great actress all your movies had a point relevant in for that time. On Golden Pond was my favorite film you appeared in. One could see the heart you put into that film with your Dad.

    As they say age is just a number, no actress past or present has demonstrated so much diversity.

    Fan from New England
    Paul McFadden

  25. Hey Jane, I’m reading your book~ My Life So Far and I can barely put it down! Some of it reminds me of me! I’m into saving the enviornment and try to spread the word about Climate change and chem trails. Your book is very inspiring. I appreciate how open you are about your life. My childhood also sucked (pardon my expression). I would love to sit down and have a cup of coffee with you sometime. lol

  26. Hi, Jane.

    As a young adult, I find your comments about the consequences of having two billion more people on the planet so intriguing. I think this is something you touch on in your memoir as well, and as I pass someone on the street in the busy city I live in, I think of your words and wonder what it was like walking around sixty, seventy, or eighty years ago–how free you must have felt.

    Did you ever investigate that Adrienne Rich essay I suggested (Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence)? Regardless, please continue to post updates on your blog. I’m always so moved by your candor–your authenticity here inspires me to be more truthful in my own writing and reflection.

    Kind regards,

    Emily Furlich

    (I commented this same message before but is still pending moderation after a month, but I’ve noticed other people reporting glitches with comments on here, so I’m posting it again just in case.)

  27. Hi Jane. First of all, you look fabulous! I love Grace & Frankie! I also have two questions: 1) What is your favorite Jane Fonda film? 2) Was your Lean Routine workout ever produced on dvd? (I had the VHS tape, but lost it during a move.) I loved that workout.

  28. Ms.Fonda,
    I just recently became familiar with the One Fair Wage movement and have been inspired by the efforts you, Lily Tomlin and of course, Saru Jayaraman with ROC united. I am proudly using my platform as a college student at Emerson College to hopefully inspire more people to get involved. For my speech class, I have to do a presentation persuading my audience to either feel a certain way or incite a desire for them to change something and am so stoked to have an opportunity to educate them on what One Fair Wage is and why we should care. So thank you for using your celebrity to reach more audiences and just know you’ve inspired me to use mine!

  29. Dear Jane,
    As a Vietnam veteran, I would like to thank you for your lifetime of service to humanity and for all the things that you have done to try to improve things here on the home planet
    I am so very sorry for the pain & suffering that you have had to endure because of the lies
    I rode to Washington about 15 years ago and was grieved by the senseless anger that they have caused
    I also have been to Hanoi. Earlier this week my company published a story about it and I thought that you would understand & enjoy reading it and watching Lien’s short video
    With great love & respect,
    Reed ❤️

    http://m.illumination.duke-energy.com/articles/the-courage-to-forgive-the-power-of-healing

  30. Hi Jane!!!
    You haven’t blogged in a little while and I wanted to just say hi & ask how you’re doing! Can you believe we are already almost half way through April this year!? Time seriously flies. I’ve been seeing Grace & Frankie pictures on twitter and Instagram and can’t wait for the new season! I got my mom and dad watching it, they love it too!!! I think they watched it faster than I did haha! I’m almost done with my first year of college at Kent State and was wondering if you have any advice for me or anyone my age (19 next month) you could share with me? 🙂 Anyways Jane, you inspire me everyday! Hope you’re doing well! I’m so glad I watched G&F and a bunch of your movies and started doing your workouts. You are a-ma-zing and I love you!!! Also I love seeing you with your dog, Tulea. So cute, how did you come up with her name?
    Stay fab!
    ~Alexa

  31. I love to see you so busy and with so much energy, God bless you

  32. Being a trailing edge Baby Boomer, I’m a little resistant to keeping up with technology, but I finally got Netflix and saw your show. FANTASTIC! I’ve always seen you as a great role model, have admired all of your work, especially your strong voice for everything that you believe in (and which I just happen to agree with 😉 I was watching Grace and Frankie with my best friend with whom I had some recent issues. The characters were so much like us that it made us laugh and helped us to see how trivial our angst with each other really was. She knows everything about actors and told me your age. I was shocked to say the least! My admiration for you has increased 100 fold, so much so that I was inspired to join your blog. Thank you so much and keep up the great work!!!
    Jennifer Gilmer
    http://www.gilmerkitchens.com

  33. Hi Jane –

    You are a constant inspiration for me and so many others. I know you are a very spiritual person and we share in both knowing Roshi Joan Halifax from Upaya in Santa Fe. I want you to know how grateful I am to you for posting something on your blog (years ago) about Roshi and Upaya – without your blog, I may not have heard of it. I have been to Upaya many times and learned a great deal about myself and Buddhism – all linking back to you. It’s cool to realize that something we pass along could end up being a “game changer” for someone!

    Curious to know if you miss Santa Fe, etc.? I LOVE it there and hope to go through Upaya’s Chaplaincy Program at some point.

    All the best to you dear Jane,

    Daniel

  34. Hi Jane,
    I really liked reading your last post, so many good conclusions and positive vibes, just what we all need, its so universal, ageing its something that we must all face and embrace.
    Now, I agree that the subject of death is so mystic and hard to grasp for most of us, so we just go ‘I’ll think about it tomorrow’ or just ignore it. Lots of theories, many books written on the subject of death tho no clear answer no reasonable explanation. Its such an eternal, essential question…
    I agree with the list of your own favorite movies, tho I’m surprised that They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? didn’t make the cut? That move earned you your first Oscar nomination. proved that you are a great dramatic actress, and it was unique and so ahead of its time in so many ways.
    There is one scene at the end of the move, where your character, Gloria realizes that hard truth; faced with no easy future and being tortured both physically and mentally she makes a rather radical, shocking and yet brave decision…that whole scene was so intense, chilling and unsetting. How did you prepared for that? Do you still remember what was in your mind, what moved you to go to that place?

  35. Dear Jane.
    I’m such a huge fan of yours! You’ve really been (and still is) a big inspiration to me. I just made an account her but I’ve looked through your blog a zillion times before and I really enjoy it! Also, I love your workout videos so much and I just bought them on DVD. Thank you for being such a legend. (PS: Can’t wait for Book Club)

    I would love if you would sometime take a look at my fanpages for you (VintageFilmArchive on Instagram/ JFondaWorld on Twitter)

    Elise xx

  36. Jane,
    First and foremost I want to thank you, for being the strong, courageous, incredible, and open woman that you are and for inspiring me to be the best version of myself that I can be. Over the years you’ve taught me many, many things. Lessons that I’m not sure any one else could have.
    Learning about your struggle with bulimia and how you were strong enough to leave it behind you, gave me a sense of power that I could also beat this and leave it in the past, along with the comments my father made about me, my body, how I should look, how I would never find a husband (not that I need one) if I didn’t look a certain way, etc.
    I grew up hearing that I was a beautiful, talented, way too skinny, young woman who was going to do great things someday, not that I ever believed a word of that because my father had completely brain washed me.
    Since my teenage years when I suffered the hardest with my bulimia, I’ve learned to ignore his comments, to shut them out, to embrace my new (larger) body. I’ve learned what it’s like to feel healthy again, to enjoy food, to not sneak away to the bathroom, I’ve learned to change my ways, most of the time.
    And, I owe a lot of my thanks and gratitude to you. You don’t even know me, yet you helped me through the toughest times of my life. You, Jane, you beautiful, wonderful, extravagant woman, you helped me get my life back, and for you I am unimaginably grateful.
    This, leads me to my question, I know you’ve said before that you just quit, you stopped, all at once. Stopped feeding into the addiction, as did I, for the most part. But it still taunts me, begs me, tries to get my attention, no matter how cured I think I am, it still haunts me. It is always there, waiting for me to take the bait that is ever so tempting. So, how did you get through that? Through the haunting, the taunting, the wanting, the addiction?
    Do you have any tips? Anything that could make this journey a little less hard on me?
    Thank you again,
    Sienna xx

  37. Dear Ms Fonda,
    I am a 23 years old girl from Greece. The last months i have that strong feeling that i should write you and i will explain why.
    As a music student, I recently fell in love with 9 to 5 theme song. Everyday, I hear it, I play it and I sing it as my energy battery. And then, thanks to youtube suggestions, I found out about Grace & Frankie series, which I have already watched three times and I am looking forward for the fifth season. Great series, I enjoyed it so much, it’s funtastic. I think, it captures woman issues in real, no matter their age. I identified myself with several stories of the series and this made me feel relieved, moved and hoped.
    And then, because of the series, I started to watch some of your interviews. Your inspiring words and acts have spoken to my heart and it turned me into a better person. A better person for myself, my friends, my family, my students, my team.
    I am planning to write my bachelor theses in the next two semesters and I couldn’t start better than having as a moto “Stay curious. It’s much more important to be interested than being interesting”. I loved it. It describes me. It motivates me. I love and care my job and my studies so much and this moto, honestly, gives me power and vision.
    Furthermore, another thing that I would keep in my mind is that “We are not meant to be perfect, we are meant to be whole”. I always couldn’t manage to deal with failure or frustration and I have punished myself for not being perfect many times. This statement made me realise that it doesn’t matter if something didn’t go as well as I expected, as long as I have put my effort to it. Failure is not to try.
    In addition, I would like to say that it is so inspiring for young people, and in particular for young women, to see a woman like you so active in political activism. You know, Aristoteles said that man is by nature a political being. As a girl guide, i volunteer almost all my life and we are trying to encourange young people to have critical thinking, environmental awareness and to be socially active. I realised that you are such a great living example for us.
    In conclusion, I could have written pages to you but I chose to mention some points. Of course, I have watched a lot of your movies and I think you are a terrific actress. But for me, comes first that you are a terrific human being. THANK YOU.

    Yours sincerely,
    Sofia

    PS1: I really hope that you will read this.
    PS2: I really loved what you have said in TEDx interview about female friendships.

  38. Reader’s Letter, Correspondence page, ROLLING STONE, 6 July 1972:
    “Thank you for the Jane Fonda interview. America should not have to wait until she is 50 to realize Jane is a great and courageous woman.”
    Haskell Wexler, Hollywood.

  39. Hi Jane. I am a long time fan. You are wise and have always been very for our world and it’s people.
    You should be very proud, as you are well respected.
    Bravo. I live in Canada, a First Nations Mohawk Woman soon to be 74.
    All the best, Norrie

  40. Dear Jane,

    I left a version of this comment on this blog post in January but it’s still under moderation, so I thought I’d post it again with some updates. It’s about due for an update anyway, since I’ve just come from a press screening of Book Club in Singapore! (Have you ever visited Singapore, by the way??)

    I really enjoyed your performance in the film – especially in that scene near the end where you’re sobbing in bed, hair a mess and eyeliner everywhere. I honestly can’t think of very many actors who would be willing to do what you did there: trade their vanity for vulnerability and truth, which I know must be especially difficult considering that the industry in which you work is so obsessed with youth and beauty.

    That scene in Book Club actually reminded me of my favourite scene in Season 4 of Grace & Frankie, which still blows me away every time I watch it: the one in which Grace shows Nick ‘the real me’. It was such an incredible, breathtaking moment, to have a character like Grace – who cares so much about her appearance that she’s kept up an illusion of herself for 40 years for Robert, a man who didn’t and couldn’t even love her in the first place – shed her armour in front of Nick. I thought it was incredibly brave on your part as well. I’m a part-time film critic and have watched plenty of movies and TV, and I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen as achingly vulnerable and lovely a scene as that one.

    You mentioned in a recent interview with Lily that it was terrifying for you to do this scene. I was wondering if you could share a little bit more about what it was like for you throughout the entire process: from reading the scene on the page to preparing for it, and finally performing it. How did you get yourself through it? Did you watch the dailies, as I know you try to do? What was it like for you to see that scene committed to the screen?

    And I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for going through with the scene even when it terrified you. That scene went viral for a reason: it resonated with a lot of people, especially women, and I’m glad you braved your own fears to put that truth out into the world. It truly amazes and inspires me that you’re still doing stuff that scares and challenges you – whether as an actor, an activist or a person – even when you’re 80. I could definitely stand to learn from your example; I don’t want to be one of those people who stops living while they’re still alive!

    Anyway – thank you, Jane! I’ve spent the last few months diving into your filmography and watching interviews online, and I’ve especially loved seeing how you’ve always tried your best to blend your art with your activism. Discovering your movies from the 1970s and 1980s has been a revelation. I love that pretty much all the movies you’ve made (then and since) have been about the importance of listening to and respecting female voices and characters. You put your money where your mouth is, and your art where your heart is. And I love that!

  41. Hi Ms Fonda
    You look great sound brilliant, remember to take B6 P5P vitamins. Hope your good health continues.

    Big Fan
    Paul McFadden

  42. Dear Jane,
    On Saturday you spoke at the women’s summit and blew me, along with many other audience members away. Your speech was eye opening and I realized immediately this was something I wanted to know more about.
    You mentioned you did your research and that it brought you to Patrisse’s book, therefore I am currently reading “When They Call You A Terrorist” Are there any other books you recommend to help me further my knowledge and understanding of racism in America?
    Thanks,
    Sienna xx

  43. Belated Happy Birthday and thank you for your comments about being 80. I’m 72 and you were my inspiration to start working out 40 years ago and I have continued to do so BUT the past year or so, for the first time, I feel like I don’t have the energy I used to (also, a bad hip due to osteoarthritis). I wonder if you have any advice or fitness routines for older people? What is your own workout like now? Again, thank you so much for your example!!!

  44. Ms Fonda
    How are things going with you and your cutie Tulea?

    I’m so thrilled that you answered me last time I wrote you here! I still can’t believe it! I was so emotional and when you worte that David and Jonathan had both told you about my page, that gave me life. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do working on it.

    I’m a 17 year old (norwegian girl) who’s obsessed with all your movies and of course Grace and Frankie! Me, my mum and my grandfather (he’s 80 and he’s been a fan of yours since forever) love to watch you and Lily in Grace and Frankie. I must have watched it a million times now and I’ll never get tired of it. I’m so looking forward to season 5 and the movie Book Club.

    You’re such a style inspiration, I mean… your style is on fleek and you look so gorgeous in everything you wear! On my fan pages (VintageFilmArcive/JFondaworld) I post all news about you and I’ve noticed all the perfect colors you wear. So, I’ve always wondered what your favorite color is, if you have one? And how was it like to work with Diane for the first time?

    Thanks for you workout tapes, I now work out 4- 5 times a week which I never did before. I just love how it feels afterwards.

    I’ve always wanted to be a pilot because I think we need more women in maledominated occupations. Hope I’ll one day become one.

    Hope this wasn’t too much information at once but I wanted you to know how you changed my life and how much I adore you.

    Stay strong and God bless you.

    With love
    Elise xxx

  45. Jane,
    I have admired your work for years. I especially enjoy Frankie & Grace and I am sort of using them as a guide to help me enter mid-life without being terrified of getting older. I love that you still work and your work seems to be informed by all your experiences to that date. Your work brings me great joy! My 13 year old daughter adores you and wants to act and direct as a career – we are very realistic in terms of ensuring she understands the career path for most people and she really just loves to create and immerse herself in whatever play she is working on. Any advice for a person developing this interest especailly at a young age? I never want to discourage her creativity. Thank you for continuing to do what you do – it is truly a gift! All the best – Ellen

  46. Your end of the year if not hallmark event of turning 80 letter is certainly, well thought out and expresses much of where many of us are coming from at this time of life…I would think of all life regrets however, your role in Vietnam in both a political and personal sense, that for decades has left wounded Americans, Vietnam vets, still…Would be something of value to touch on specifically as I would guess? It must be your largest regret. Perhaps more needs to be acknowledged on that “front” and in the right place, in reconciling life at this point…Just a thought. I don’t think you ever intended the backlash that continues to ensue if not mar your name and wouldn’t it be wonderful to seek greater reconciliation on that matter?

  47. Thanks for the heads up…I had no idea this was setup as a “pick and choose” site by Ms. Fonda! I shall cease and desist and disengage any further comment. Maybe you should warn those who think opinion matters here other than her own! (lol) Later…

  48. Dear Ms Fonda,

    Our Souls At Night is such a beautifully done movie!
    Book Club looks fabulous, can hardly wait to see it and Grace and Frankie is still going strong with the 5th season on the way!

    I do hope You will write more books! Your recent comment “I have closed up shop down there” is so poignant yet told in an entertaining way!

    Lot of your experiences are so relatable for men also! When I met you again in London in October I wanted to say thank you for My Life So Far, when I read that book when it came out I related to many of your experiences with the intimacy issues, bulimia, folding ourselves into a pretzel and all the other parts in the book are such universal issues and by you honestly talking about it helped us dealing with a lot of it, that we are not alone!
    Was lucky enough to have it signed in 2006 in NY during the book tour, and meeting you again in October I was again speechless, but You were so lovely and I would like to thank you this way!

    Can hardly wait for seeing Book Club, looks like such a fun movie!

    Love,
    David

  49. HI Queen,

    Your instagram made me almost forget about your blog. Love your pics with your “book club” cast mates.. I hope you continue to live your life the best way you know how.. Time and age is just an illusion of myths. The older i get the more i look forward to the challenges life brings. The best way to defeat fear and anxiety is to just live and do what makes u happy.

    Im very curious to hear about your views this coming mid term elections and who your excited in supporting. I also would love to get your opinion on good organizations to join.. Im considering Obama for America to work this coming election year.. I know your very involved in grassroots orgs and national ones. So im curious to know where i could offer my services. Sending love & blessings your way.. Hope i can def meet u soon.

    Love❤

    Hasani Gooding

  50. Dear Jane,
    My name is Tim. I’m 20 years old and I live in Russia. I just admire everything that you do. I rewatched your entire filmography several times already. Grace and Frankie literally stands on the repeat. I really want to know about your impressions of Russia during the filming “Julia” and also ask about your possible visit to our country again. Thank you very much for everything!

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