Jane Fonda thought she would die from ‘drugs and loneliness’ when she was in her youth.
The Grace And Frankie actress is ‘astonished’ she will turn 88 next month because her ‘youth was not especially happy’ and she didn’t think she’d live as long as she had.
Speaking on The Look, a special series from Michelle Obama‘s IMO podcast, she said: ‘I didn’t think I’d live past 30. I was sure I was going to die. [My] youth was not especially happy…
‘I’m not addictive, but I thought I was going to die from drugs and loneliness. So the fact that I’m almost 88 is astonishing to me.
‘I wouldn’t go back for anything. I feel more centered, more whole, more complete. I’m very happy, single.’
Jane has ‘never’ been afraid of getting older or the end of her life after taking the time to reflect before she went into her ‘final act’.
Jane Fonda thought she’d die from ‘drugs and loneliness’ when she was 30. Seen in her early twenties
![Speaking on The Look, a special series from Michelle Obama's IMO podcast, she said: 'I didn't think I'd live past 30. I was sure I was going to die. [My] youth was not especially happy.' Seen in 1965 when she was 28-years-old](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/11/20/19/104057763-15311137-image-a-124_1763668326959.jpg "Jane Fonda, 87, Reflects on Drug Use in Her 20s 16")
Speaking on The Look, a special series from Michelle Obama’s IMO podcast, she said: ‘I didn’t think I’d live past 30. I was sure I was going to die. [My] youth was not especially happy.’ Seen in 1965 when she was 28-years-old
She said: ‘More importantly, I’m not afraid of dying.
‘The most important thing I did was when I was going to turn 60, and in my mind … this is the beginning of my final act, and I didn’t know how to live it.’
At the time, the 80 For Brady actress reflected on her biggest fears and it changed her mindset.
She said: ‘I’m afraid of dying with a lot of regrets. I watched my dad die with a lot of regrets. That was an important realization for me, because if you don’t want to die with regrets, then you have to live the last part of your life in such a way that there won’t be any regrets.
‘I also want to be surrounded by people who love me. … Forgiveness comes into play, including forgiving myself. That actually has guided me in the last 30 years. I’ve been living to not have regrets.’
Jane believes old age can be ‘fantastic’.
She said: ‘I think that old age is fantastic if it’s lived intentionally. Intentionality is the key. Really thinking about it.
‘I’m controversial, and I’m an activist, and I’ve been very unpopular.
The Hollywood icon in 1968’s Barbarella when she was 30
The Grace And Frankie actress is ‘astonished’ she will turn 88 next month because her ‘youth was not especially happy’ and she didn’t think she’d live as long as she had
Fonda as Corie Bratter and Robert Redford as Paul Bratter in a publicity still for the comedy film Barefoot in the Park, 1967
‘I’m popular right now. It probably won’t last, but I think that it’s important for somebody like me — who’s an activist — to show that I can also look good and then I’m still hireable. It encourages the young ones to not be so afraid,’ she added.
Last week Fonda admitted that it has been a ‘tough year’ following the losses of her friends Gene Hackman, Robert Redford and Diane Keaton.
The movie star says that the sadness at the passings of the trio – in February, September and October respectively – has been hard for her to bear.
Speaking to People at the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power’s EmPower Party, Jane said: ‘It’s been a tough year.’
She added of Hackman: ‘You know, there’s him and Redford. He came down here to support GCAPP. And we screened Barefoot in the Park.’
Philip D’ Antoni (left) and Gene Hackman (center) with Fonda when they won Oscars for Klute
The Barbarella star continued: ‘And Diane Keaton – I just finished working with her. Boy, I was shocked. Really shocked. You get to be old and everybody is dying around you.’
Fonda issued an emotional statement following Redford’s passing at the age of 89, describing how she couldn’t ‘stop crying’ after learning of her Barefoot in the Park co-star’s death.
She said: ‘It hit me hard this morning when I read that Bob was gone. I can’t stop crying. He meant a lot to me and was a beautiful person in every way. He stood for an America we have to keep fighting for.’
The Coming Home actress also remembered her Book Club co-star Keaton as a ‘spark of life and light’ following her death aged 79 last month.
She shared a photo of her friend on Instagram and wrote: ‘It’s hard to believe…or accept…that Diane has passed.
The star in red for the 2025 WIF Honors at The Beverly Hilton on November 6
‘She was always a spark of life and light, constantly giggling at her own foibles, being limitlessly creative…in her acting, her wardrobe, her books, her friends, her homes, her library, her world view. Unique is what she was. And, though she didn’t know it or wouldn’t admit it, man she was a fine actress!(sic)’
Meanwhile, Jane previously joked that she’ll be doing her ‘own stunts’ in her 90s as she reflected on a ‘weird career’ that saw her take a 15-year break from acting.
Speaking during her Lifetime Achievement award speech at the SAG Awards in February, she said: ‘This means the world to me, you can’t know. Thank you SAG-AFTRA. And your enthusiasm makes this seem, I don’t know, less like a twilight of my life and more like a ‘go girl, kick ass — which is good because I’m not done.’
‘I have had a really weird career, totally unstrategic. I retired for 15 years then came back at 65 which is not usual, I made one of my most successful movies in my 80s and probably in my 90s I’ll be doing my own stunts in an action movie.
‘Have you ever heard the phrase, it’s ok to be a late bloomer as long as you don’t miss the flower show. I’m a late bloomer, this is the flower show.’
