'I hope I can be example': Jane Fonda urges young people to not be 'afraid of getting older' as she turns 85
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jane Fonda wants to serve as an "example" for young people when it comes to growing older. On December 21, 2022, the Hollywood icon will turn 85 and she has pushed young people to embrace aging, as reported by Aceshowbiz. She explained, "I've lived a good life. I've lived a productive and intentional life. And I knew I couldn't make it any longer than it was going to be, but I could make it wider and deeper. And I've done that. I feel like I'm doing that. I hope that I can be an example to young people so they won't be afraid of getting older."
The Oscar-winning actress, fitness guru, and activist will celebrate her 85th birthday with friends Lily Tomlin, Tyler Perry, and others on December 21 night. Gladys Knight will sing a special song for the occasion, as per Fox 5 Atlanta. Her non-profit organization, the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential (GCAPP), is also raising money at the event, which is taking place at a private property in Buckhead. Fonda founded the group when Georgia allegedly had the highest percentage of teen births in the country in 1995.
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In September 2022, the icon was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma but it hasn't slowed her down for a second. “We’re living through the most consequential time in human history because what we do or don’t do right now will determine what kind of future there will be and I will not allow cancer to keep me from doing all I can,” she wrote. “Cancer is a teacher and I’m paying attention to the lessons it holds for me,” she continued in an Instagram post. “One thing it’s shown me already is the importance of community. Of growing and deepening one’s community so that we are not alone. And the cancer, along with my age—almost 85—definitely teaches the importance of adapting to new realities,” she added.
Fonda is also well known for her activism. She's committed to doing all in her power to slow down climate change. Speaking to PEOPLE, she explained, "It's going to be rough for young people, and I just want my kids to know and my grandkids to know that I did my best."
She has also acknowledged that when she was younger, she was "too wrapped up" in her activism. The actress acknowledged that her commitment to activism had a negative effect on her home life.
Fonda, the mother to Mary, 55, Vanessa, 54, and Troy, 49, said, "I think about [motherhood] every day. It's the one main thing about my past that I think about almost every day. And I'll tell you one of the things that's keying it off is watching my son, who is 47. They just had their first child and he is about a year and a half. And when I watch my son and his wife Simone parent, I'm awestruck. It puts into such stark relief for me, what I didn't do. I don't think I've said this to him, so I feel a little weird, but anyway, that's the reality. Watching my son be a parent, I think, 'God I just wish I had done that.' And then I realize, if I had done that I would not have become who I became."
