At age 87, actress Jane Fonda admits she is at an age that at one point she never thought she would reach. As she looks back on her life and the things she has done, good and bad, she is amazed because she never expected to make it this far.
Jane Fonda describes her younger self as unstable. During that time, she didn’t see herself as an aging, seasoned woman. She felt sure that her life would come to an abrupt end. She never imagined ever hitting 30 due to her wild and reckless lifestyle.
However, as she has aged, many things have changed in her life. Today, she describes herself as centered, fully aware of who she is, and finally comfortable in her own skin, according to the Daily Mail.
Her early years were dark and grim. Long before she became a respected activist and Hollywood legend, Fonda navigated a very turbulent stretch of her life. One of the scariest times came in 1970 when she was stopped at an Ohio airport and arrested.
Authorities accused her of bringing pills across the border and assaulting an officer during the confrontation. She spent hours in jail before posting bond and later explained that the situation escalated when she tried to move past agents who blocked her path.
Jane Fonda Survived Decades Of Storms
The pills she carried? Diet aids and tranquilizers were common medications during that era. Howevere, the headlines were brutal. Fonda’s arrest could have destroyed her career. Speaking out on her past drug use, Jane admitted on The Look, a special series from Michelle Obama‘s IMO podcast. “I didn’t think I’d live past 30. I did so many drugs that I thought I would die.
“[My] youth was not especially happy. I’m not addictive, but I thought I was going to die from drugs and loneliness. So the fact that I’m almost 88 is astonishing to me.”
However, she says she managed to push through it, despite the public humiliation. That time in her life not only tested her, it shaped the strong, outspoken woman she is today. The fear of dying young shifted once she hit 60.
Jane Fonda claims it was then that she began treating the next phase of her life as her “final act.” Choosing to face aging without dread. She focused on avoiding regrets. Something she’d seen her famous father, Henry Fonda, struggle with near the end of his life.
She believes aging can be remarkable if approached with purpose. She’s been controversial, admired, criticized, and celebrated. Yet she continues moving forward. Her life has become a never-ending journey of lessons learned. Lessons that she has feared, loved, and now comes to respect.
