Jane An Incredible Journey

The Hollywood firmament was hers by paternal inheritance, but JANE FONDA was always aware there was something else. At 79, the actor laureate, writer, fitness guru and veteran social activist feels fulfilled, youthful and optimistic about her “third act”,

- Eléonore Marchand

THE SECOND SHE ENTERS THE STUDIO, Jane Fonda has everyone’s undivided attention. Without even uttering a word, her presence commands it — not just out of respect for this iconic figure who has mastered every aspect of her career (Oscar-winning actor, best-selling author, fitness guru, inspiring activist), but because at 79 years old, she seems fuelled with enough stamina to engage and impress anyone and everyone around her without effort.

“I’m more youthful than I was at 21, I’ll tell you that,” says Fonda, who has been a spokes model for L’Oréal Paris since 2006. “I’m a quintessential late bloomer! It’s taken me a long time to get to a place where I feel ready for my life. Growing up is a process, at least for me, and I think it’s probably true for most people. It’s a process you can’t take for granted. I think you have to be very intentional about the process of growing up and growing older. And I’ve done that. When I say that I’m younger now than when I was 21, it’s true. I mean, at 21, I saw no future, and I felt dark, very dark.”

Born in New York City, the daughter of renowned actor Henry Fonda and socialite Frances Ford Seymour, Fonda had a tormented childhood. Her mother committed suicide when Fonda was 12; she was told at the time that her mother had died of a heart attack, but shortly after, Fonda read in a magazine that she had slit her throat with a razor. Her relationship with her father proved challenging over the years. “I was very objectified. It’s taken me 70-some years to get over it. Parents should not make their daughters feel that in order to be loved you have to look a certain way or weigh a certain amount,” says Fonda, who battled bulimia for decades.