My Life So Far

I always have misgivings about discussing the work and the personality of someone I admire so much as I admire Jane Fonda. I feel that I may not be able to keep the objectivity that is the basis of any assessment. My admiration for her dates back to the time when I was a teen and, film after film, she was building an amazing gallery of incredibly truthful creations, ranging from realistic drama to comedy and even fantasies like "Barbarella." But let me try.She has always been essentially a very modern actress. There was never any question about her being very gifted, but like all big stars, it was always pretty obvious that elements of her own persona were visible in every character she played. Rather than a shortcoming, this was a fantastic asset, one that made it possible to see the difference between what the late David Shipman called "great movie stars" and run-of-the-mill leading players. She was a fabulous actress and a fascinating woman who could easily carry a film on her own. In other words, she was the biggest star of the American cinema of the 1970s.As an actor, I went to drama school at the time when, in my country, directors and drama teachers were obsessed with the American approach to Stanislavski's "method," to the point of some of them going to New York to study with Lee Strasberg. At that particular moment, knowing that Jane Fonda was a "method" actress who had been a student of Lee Strasberg's added immensely to the fascination she exercised over my generation.I never missed anything she did on film. It was immensely rewarding to see an actress reach with so much accomplishment the ultimate goal of playing with as much intensity as restraint scenes in which the emotional demands on her were so high. She went very deep into the emotions she was unearthing. There were times when it could be disturbing, especially because she never overacted. She was always impeccable. A truly great actress in full control of her craft.Some of her movies were not pleasant. "Klute," for example. But in all of them she managed to make us understand that no one can go through life without being aware of the movements in the imaginary chess board in which we are the pawns.All along, she was constantly on the front page of newspapers all over as an activist fighting for people in her own country and in the whole world to see the dishonesty with which the system sold the idea that the Vietnam war was justifiable. Her enemies tried to discredit her, but she was so consistent in her anti-establishment attitude, so ferociously intelligent in the way she defended her ideas, that they couldn't harm her.I followed her work as an activist with great interest. So in the end my admiration for Jane Fonda was of the let-me-count-the-ways type. There were rumors about her being temperamental. The story went round that she was very unhappy when her brother Peter published a memoir ("Don't Tell Dad"). Also, they said she wasn't at all happy about the appearance of a newcomer with a delectable figure named Bridget Fonda, who was Peter's daughter and a fine actress in her own right.They said all sorts of things, as they always do, good and bad, about Henry Fonda's daughter. It was to be expected that sooner or later she would want to write her own version of the story. Curiously enough, I wasn't interested in the book when it first came out eight years ago. A lot of my own story had to do with it. I started to work as an actor in 1974. Since then I did lots of things. I loved being an actor and I wanted to go on doing it to the end. But in 2006 I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and in 2010 there was no choice other than applying for and being granted early retirement. I couldn't act anymore. It was very painful and I had a very hard time adjusting to my new reality. In the process, I didn't want to read about actors and acting, or talk about the actor's life with anyone. I didn't even want to go to the theater. Only recently I have started again reading about the profession I am no longer part of.I decided to buy "My Life So Far" after watching the amazing interview Jane gave to Barbara Walters on the Charlie Rose program (Walters was replacing Rose who was ill), which I saw on YouTube as a result of having been absolutely fascinated with the way she and Lily Tomlin interracted in "Grace and Frankie."Jane Fonda is a brave woman. It's her foremost quality. When it comes to autobiographical writings, being brave is no small achievement. It's always very easy to write about your own life fleetingly, using each episode to be witty, say something surprising here and there, gossip a little, make it look as if you are in peace with the universe, and then type "the end." What isn't easy in the least is to do what this bravest of women did in this absolute gem of an autobiography.The reason why she has always been one of the greatest actresses of her time is that she doesn't make it easy for herself when she has to build a character. She is implaccable. Nothing must remain hidden. Every single element that makes it worth to bring this person to light must be perfectly clear so that the whole makes as much sense as it's possible for any human being to do.Whenever she plays a character it becomes visible how far she went in the journey, a journey that is as wonderful as it is terrifying, into the human being it is her job to make live in front of an audience. She never takes short cuts, never eschews the darkness. She never uses the automatic pilot. The only way she knows how to face a character is making the whole of it come to light. That's the way she faced this amazing character named Jane Fonda.I believe "My Life So Far" will be treasured in the distant future as a masterpiece among autobiographies. Jane (I permit myself to call her Jane rather than Ms Fonda because after all these years I feel so close to her as if she were my big sister) has written a classic, of which she can be very proud. We can be very proud too, of being on this planet at the same time as an extraordinary human being named Jane Fonda.

First of all, this is an exceptional book that everyone of our generation (I'm 51) should read. Jane is a fascinating person who was fortunate to lead a public life in very interesting times. She has made an honest effort at laying her soul in view for you to see and there is much to learn from this, both good and bad.First, the most controversial subject, Vietnam and Hanoi Jane. Fonda gives a detailed description of her side of the Vietnam controversy where she believed fervently the USA was in the wrong. Clearly, this was a bad war in which we should not have participated. However, as much as she quotes from the Pentagon Papers and tells of her meetings with soldiers who changed their mind and now understand she position, it still doesn't feel right to me to openly oppose America and cavort with the enemy IN THEIR COUNTRY. I had no real opinion of her on this issue and took no real offense to her visit. Now, reading her side of the story, it just doesn't feel right to carry demonstrations to the enemy's country and flaunt your position. She tries to justify that she wasn't speaking against the soldiers, just the administration. She tries to build a case that the POWs that said they were tortured due to her visit must be lying because others said they weren't tortured. Disagreeing with America is an Americans privilege. Disagreeing while in other countries borders on treason to me. Even she earlier admitted while in France that it felt inappropriate in a foreign country to demonstrate against her country.But it's not that black and white an issue. Jane makes very good points of why she disagreed and where all the administrations, Republican and Democrat, lied to the public. In my life this is the biggest controversy in our country for this generation. I respect and honor our soldiers. But I also respect and honor Jane Fonda's right to disagree and protest the war. But there is a limit to where the damage is too great. And an apology for sitting on an Anti-aircraft gun doesn't quite cover the damage in my opinion. You will learn a lot of the specific issues that so inflamed her particularly apparent secret bombing of dikes. Form your own opinion but don't let this critical part of the book lessen your enjoyment of the whole book.Now, to fascinating book parts that are not as controversial. She describes the initial idea of the controversial film "Coming Home", the first major film to deal with Vietnam and the emotional trauma. Reading the evolution of how the film started and evolved is fascinating and I applaud her and her producing partner Bruce, director Hal Ashby, and fellow actors Jon Voight and Bruce Dern on a cinematic masterpiece. And specifically, Jane, thanks for the story behind the scenes on how this masterpiece was made.And this applies to "On Golden Pond" also. Dare I say maybe the ultimate cinematic accomplishment of our generation? How many Americans my age watched this movie and cried at the touching human story portrayed by some of the greatest actors ever! The back story of Katherine Hepburn is nothing short of fascinating as Jane takes us inside what a real actor is like and how Hepburn both helped her and fought her. This movie is really a synopsis of the relationship of Jane and father Henry's relationship and how wonderful is it to have this raw emotion splayed on the screen!I'm not just a movie lover as I found the history of her marriage to Tom Hayden fascinating. It just goes to show that what you see in public is not what goes on in all relationships as her "storybook" marriage disintegrates before her eyes. Her famous exercise videos are also covered in depth showing how it slowly started, how she hurt relationships to have the business finance her political causes, and the extent to which it becomes enormously profitable.For most of this book we have an extreme left-leaning privileged actress who lives her life in a fascinating manner. But in her 50s she's hit by a tornado from the south, Ted Turner, a man that clearly would not be considered a feminists first choice. But this is where the book is even more appealing as this avowed Democrat who admits to not being around religious people unless they were Jewish, suddenly is thrust into a life in the deep South around conservative, Christian people. Maybe the greatest statement I can make of Jane is that unlike a lot of people, many of who will read this book and dislike it, she learned from these new friends and altered her life completely becoming an advocate concerning teenage pregnancy and a devoutly religious person. Life is to be learned from and this later chapter of her life shows that she was willing to grow and continue to learn. I find it fascinating that after living around New York, Los Angeles and France, she has chosen to make Atlanta her home!I've left out so many parts of this book that are enjoyable like parental skills, her childhood and first marriage. She left out many parts such as any discussion of her romance with Donald Sutherland and I'm sure there are many others. How many Americans knew that her left-leaning, while learned from her father, were cultivated in the six or so years she lived in France in her 20s? Or the fascinating story of how the movie "Fun with Dick and Jane" is made to demonstrate our society living above its means in the 70s?This is a magnificent book of growing up in the last half of the 20th century. I applaud Jane for allowing me to learn from her, even when I may strongly disagree with her stands. Read this book with an open mind and learn about Jane Fonda, American values, and who you are and who you can be.

Whoever would have thought that Jane Fonda -- Hollywood Princess, Antiwar Activist, Oscar-winning Method Actress, Workout Queen and every other impressive title she has held -- would have so many of the same relationship issues my friends and I share? Her "disease to please," getting her validation from the men in her life (but oh, what fascinating men!), working so hard to be a better mother ... On a very real level, her struggles have been Everywoman's (only hers were on a much grander, more public scale).To those who dismiss Fonda as "just an actress," tell that to those veterans who still hate her. Meryl Streep is sublimely talented, but I can think of nothing she did in her role as public citizen that still resonates with the public 30 years later. I don't agree with everything Ms. Fonda has done during her life, but I admire the way she admits her missteps and tries to atone for them. To those who claim that she whines and blames her father, sorry, but I didn't read the same edition you did. My book has her forgiving her father (as well as Vadim and her mother) time and again, with a generosity of spirit I also genuinely admire.Thank you, Jane. And welcome back to the Big Screen.

Learned a lot about the Vietnam war and Janes stand on it. I liked that Jane sounded very down to earth and human in her vulnerabilities. Her experiences with men are very common with that generation and it helps other women.I highly recommend reading it.

Macht Sinn, es im Original zu lesen, authentisch. Ich bin sehr beeindruckt und nehme die inspirierenden Gedanken über den außergewöhnlichen Lebensweg dieser Frau gerne mit.

I have really enjoyed reading his book. Jane Fonda has always been a well known celebrity and it was interesting and educational to read her autobiographical study of her life. Good to know it’s not always “alright for them” as is often thought about celebs and wealthy people.I hope she continues to encourage change for the better in the education of gender equality and actively pursues all the good causes she is involved with, as it’s good to see someone wanting to make a difference who is in a great position to do so.

O conteúdo não é exatamente o meu estilo. Talvez pessoas jovens iriam aproveitar mais. Ainda não entendi onde ela quer chegar.

Lessons for us all, those who lived through the Seventies in the US and those that did not.An memoir where the use of the first person singular is not abused and is not irritating.The writing is good and well-edited (thank you, Kate Medina).It would be a mistake to dismiss Jane Fonda as someone whose insights are not worth considering.The candor of the woman is amazing.