Jane Fonda: Seeking a Satisfying Third Act
The public knows Fonda first and foremost as an actress. The daughter of screen legend Henry Fonda and sister of fellow actor, Peter Fonda, she enjoyed a career as a noteworthy actress on the big screen. Twice she won an Academy Award for her work. The first was for her role as Bree Daniels in Klute (opposite Donald Sutherland). The second was for her portrayal of Sally Hyde, a military wife, in Coming Home (also starring Jon Voigt, who won an Oscar as Best Actor for his work as a paraplegic Vietnam war vet in the movie). However, she enjoyed prominence also in the field of health and fitness. At one time her Workout studios and videotapes were very popular with people seeking to get themselves into better physical condition.
For some, however, Fonda is notorious for her activities as an antiwar activist. During the Vietnam war, she traveled to Hanoi, the capital of North Vietnam. While there, she was photographed on an anti-aircraft gun. As a result of how she and her actions were perceived, many labeled her a traitor.
In My Life So Far , Fonda talks about all of that and more. Of particular interest is the rationale that she gives for writing her memoirs at all. The preface to the book lays out her thinking on the subject. As she approached sixty, she began to reflect upon where she’d been, what she’d done and concluded that she didn’t want to die without knowing who she was. So, taking pen in hand, she wrote her story modeled upon the three acts of a stage play. She has actually lived and completed the first two, with only the third act remaining.
As Fonda relates various episodes in her life, it’s clear (by the type of language that she uses and the ways in which she often expresses her thoughts) that she has undergone counseling and/or therapy of some sort in order to understand herself and her actions. She readily admits that portions of the book were painful to write. In fact, she experienced a period of severe writer’s block at one point. However, she managed to stay on track and to finish writing the book, all on her own.
For avid movigoers, the book is well worth reading for the insights that she offers into such matters as (1) why she produced On Golden Pond , (2) how she came up with the idea for Coming Home , (3) how incidents in her first marriage to Roger Vadim helped her in preparing for her role in Klute , etc.
For health and fitness enthusiasts, reading the book is worthwhile for the information that she provides about (1) her battles with bulimia, and (2) how she came to create the Workout .
For activists (not to mention Vietnam vets), hearing her in-person story is worth the effort given (1) her identification of the reasons why she joined the antiwar movement, (2) her failure to control key aspects of her visit to Hanoi, and (3) her interactions with Ron Kovic (of Born on the Fourth of July fame) and others.
Finally, for anyone wanting to know more about her famous father, the book rates as a must read since Fonda details how Henry Fonda remained closed off emotionally throughout her life and was in actuality far different in person than he appeared to be on the screen.
Of course, Fonda includes chapters about her life with Ted Turner and how they came to be married, as well as why they later divorced. She gives full coverage of her marriage to her other two husbands–Roger Vadim and Tom Hayden–and speaks of her shortcomings as a parent to her own children, Vanessa and Troy.
As Fonda has crisscrossed the country on a promotional tour for the book, she has given countless interviews. In televised appearances, it’s readily apparent that she’s still vulnerable emotionally, despite a projected professional image of being a woman in control. However the reading public may view her today, she has succeeded in producing a comprehensive picture of her life, flaws and all. Her autobiography could serve as a model for others wishing to tell their own stories.
