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At the age of 81, award-winning Hollywood actress Jane Fonda continues to go from strength to strength, proving to the world just how talented she really is. She chats to us about agelessness and how growing up only means getting better.
On coming full circle…
A big part of ageing is actually becoming the person you were before you hit puberty. For me, it was finding the little girl who stood up for herself, who climbed trees and was a bit of a tomboy. This is the person I was always meant to be, but in my teens, like so many girls, I wanted to fit in and be like everyone else. It’s often in your forties and fifties that you become your own person. It’s funny because, at 73, I feel young, but I also feel my age. Pablo Picasso said, “It takes a long time to become young,” and it’s so true – I feel younger because the stress and angst have fallen away and I’m more myself.
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On good health…
I don’t wake up in the morning and think, “Oh goodie, I’m going to work out!” I don’t like to exercise, but I do it because I feel so good afterwards. I have a fake hip and knee, so I can’t run or jump. Instead, I use an exercise bike, I do yoga and I love walking. I eat well and drink a glass of wine every day, and I love a good hamburger a few times a month. The way I feel doesn’t come from how I look, but having cosmetic surgery made me look more like I feel. I’m not proud of it, but I’m not going to lie about it, either. I love that actors like Vanessa Redgrave haven’t had surgery, but that face of hers, with those cheekbones, is so remarkable. I don’t have that remarkable structure, and my surgery has bought me five years of playing women a few years younger than me in movies and television.
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On embracing change…
Women probably age better than men because the changes that come with age are easier for us. We are used to dealing with change. We get pregnant, we have babies, they leave home, we change jobs, we go through menopause. We have all these different experiences, and we learn to prepare. If you rehearse and prepare for something, it will be easier. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, I coped well because I think about death a lot. I was very lucky – the lump was isolated and I’m cancer-free now.
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On self-acceptance…
I feel happier and more at peace now than at any other time in my life. I think this is the case for most people over 50, and now, I feel it even more. We’re less hostile, less anxious. When I was younger, I was full of self-doubt, wondering if I should do this, or say that. There are fewer “what ifs” and “maybe I shoulds” as I’ve got older and that’s freeing. During a lot of my life, I needed a man to validate me. Not any more.
On staying curious…
I’m still interested – I want to know things, to study, to learn. I love meeting people. I get in a lift and I talk to people. I ask them where they come from, what they do, why they’re in the lift. People who are still interested in life – rather than worried about being interesting – have an aura about them. They have a sparkle in their eye and that’s very attractive. You look at them and think, “I want what they have.”
