Jane Fonda is opening up about getting older, nurturing powerful friendships, and how her resilient spirit has kept her afloat many times in her life.
In anticipation of the heartwarming sequel to Book Club, Fonda is opening up about the things you realize are most important in this lifetime as you have chapters of living it, one of which is keeping a positive spirit, as she reveals to PEOPLE.
“There’s been tragedy and hard things in my life. But I’ve never succumbed to them. I’ve been resilient all my life.”
That resiliency has followed her through three battles with cancer and more ups and downs in her personal life, and yet — she smiles. Her health battles haven’t defined her; they’ve helped her find strength in moving forward and seeing how beautiful the other side of a struggle can be. As Fonda embraces a long life, she also says one of the best parts is that you begin to realize you can survive the unsurvivable; because you’ve done it before.
“A bad thing happens, and you think, ‘Well, that’s happened before, and I’m fine. I’ll get over it.’ You know what’s important. I spent a lot of time like a canoe with no paddle being carried in the current. As I got older, I learned I’m going to put an oar in the water and steer.”
Putting an oar in water is something critically important to Fonda, and another thing she’s learned the importance of is the value of women’s friendships, something Fonda explains she thought wasn’t possible in the way she has them now. Speaking of Book Club 2 co-stars Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen, they seemed to answer prayers Fonda didn’t know she had.
“It’s everything I imagined women’s friendships can be. When I was younger, there was this assumption that women were kind of catty and four stars working together wouldn’t work because they’d be competing, and it’s just not true. We’re friends and we love working together and we help each other when we need to.”
The friendship they share is evident in the characters they play; there isn’t competition for space or character arcs, no vying to be the unforgettable scene-stealer; they’re just close friends lucky enough to get to do work and life together, and at a time in their lives when they have a real grasp at what the point is — chasing joy.
If you’ve not yet seen Book Club, now is the perfect time to do so, because Book Club 2 hits theaters on May 12, and it’ll be a can’t-miss adventure for you and your closest girlfriends.