J A N E F O N D A
Interview and Photography by { John Russo
Edited by { Bonnie Davidson
Styling by { Christina Ehrlich
Hair by { Jonathan Hanousek
Makeup by { David de Leon
Location: 1 Hotel West Hollywood
At 87 and no signs up stopping, she is committed to self improvement and accepts responsibility for her past mistakes. And she adamantly encourages other women on the far side of middle age to stay both active and fashionable in order to live their best lives. “We are, after all, the fastest-growing demographic in the world,” says the eternally youthful icon. I am so in awe of Jane and everything she has accomplished in her life. She is the definition and embodiment of the word ICON.
JR: You always look glamorous at events, but how do you dress when you’re not in the spotlight?
JF: Thank you, fitness is such a passion for me, and I spend so much time working out, walking or hiking, so I tend to spend all day in the clothes that I wear to work out. And I just like to throw things over that will make them look fashionable. They may be workout clothes, but I’m making a fashion statement at the same time. Functionality and comfort, but also a little pizazz.
JR: Which of your movies would you like to make into a sequel?
JF: I want to make a sequel of 9 to 5 because the challenges facing office workers today are even more severe than they were in the 1970s.
JR: Is there anyone who you would love to work with?
JF: I wish I could work with director Paul Thomas Anderson. I think he’s a genius.
JR: Have you ever worked on a project and later in your career thought, “What the hell was I thinking?”
JF: I made a film very early in my career called In the Cool of the Day, which was really bad. I’m not sure if it was even released, but Peter Finch and Angela Lansbury were in it, so I wasn’t alone in my error.
JR: If you were able to go back in time and have a do-over, which part of your past would you choose and what would you change?
JF: I wish, when I was in Vietnam in 1972, that I had not gone alone or gone to that gun site and allowed myself to be seated [on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun installation]. I still would have gone, but would have changed those parts of my trip.
JR: If you had to give advice to young actors who are trying to achieve success in Hollywood what would you tell them?
JF: I would tell them to never give up.
JR: If you could tell someone who has passed away one thing, who and what would that be?
JF: It would be my mother and I would say “I forgive you and I love you.”