Jane Fonda, 84, Reveals Thoughts on Aging and How She Feels About Being ‘Closer to Death’
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Jane Fonda revealed that she’s “super conscious” about being “closer to death,” and that it doesn’t bother her at all.
The actress, almost 85, is simply grateful to be alive and working, despite having had multiple surgeries to replace her hips, knees, and shoulder. “What bothers me is that my body is, you know, basically not mine!” she joked.
After enduring a tumultuous childhood and early adulthood, the actress never expected to live past 30.
The ominous feeling of getting older can be a heavy burden to bear. But at nearly 85, Jane Fonda feels younger than some do at 60, which is why she says being “closer to death” doesn’t bother her at all. She’s just glad to be alive, and plans to take full advantage of every day she has left.
Over the weekend, Fonda and her Grace and Frankie co-star Lily Tomlin appeared on CBS This Morning to discuss the series’ final season (new episodes drop on April 29) and how the show, with its candid discussion of subjects like aging, sexuality, and changes that happen late in life, has transformed how audiences (especially women) view getting older. In Fonda’s opinion, time passing is nothing to be afraid of.
“I’m super-conscious that I’m closer to death. And it doesn’t really bother me that much. What bothers me is that my body is, you know, basically not mine!” she laughed, referring to the multiple operations, including her most recent shoulder replacement surgery, that she’s had over the years. “My knees are not mine, my hips are not mine, my shoulder’s not mine,” she continued, gesturing toward her neck. “You’re looking at somebody who’s only me from here up.”
But she doesn’t mind that one bit. “The fact is, if you’re alive and relatively healthy at an older–I mean, I’m almost 85,” Fonda said. “The fact that I’m still alive and working, wow, who cares if I don’t have my old joints? And I can’t ski or bike or run anymore? Eh. You know, you can be really old at 60, and you can be really young at 85. Health!”
With that in mind, Fonda is doing everything to take care of herself, which has included ending her relationship with alcohol. “Here’s why,” she said frankly. “Even with one drink, like, if I had a martini tonight, I would be at half-mast tomorrow. Now, that wasn’t true when I was younger. But as you get older, I think alcohol affects you differently. And I only have so many tomorrows left. I don’t want to be at half-mast for any of them!”
That’s especially the case because the actress didn’t expect to live past 30. After a tumultuous childhood and being married three times, she assumed she would “die lonely and probably from alcohol or something like that,” she said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2018. “The fact that I’m not an addict, and I’m 80 and I’m working—it’s just a miracle to me.”
Fonda is truly just getting better with age.
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