Jane Fonda is a woman who has lived many lives: Oscar-winning actress, outspoken activist, fitness icon, and survivor of Hollywood’s most turbulent eras. Now, at 87, she’s more candid than ever. In a series of revealing interviews and memoir reflections, Fonda has finally named the five actors she found most unbearable—misogynistic, arrogant, and impossible to work with. Her stories aren’t just gossip; they’re a masterclass in emotional honesty, resilience, and the fight for dignity in an industry that rarely grants it to women.

Robert Redford: The Golden Boy with a Shadow

Few screen pairings are as iconic as Jane Fonda and Robert Redford. Over five decades, they starred in four films together, from the electric romance of Barefoot in the Park to the quiet intimacy of Our Souls at Night. On camera, their chemistry was legendary. Off camera, Fonda’s experience was far more complicated.

“He was always in a bad mood,” Fonda has said, describing Redford’s persistent emotional distance and prickliness. For years, she internalized his moodiness as her own failing, believing she needed to fix or navigate his moods. It wasn’t until she was nearly 80, filming their final collaboration, that she realized Redford’s moods were not her responsibility—a moment of liberation after decades of emotional caretaking.

Fonda’s reflections on Redford are nuanced. She admits to being in love with him during three of their four films together, a love that perhaps made their onscreen intimacy more believable but complicated her off-screen experience. “He has an issue with women,” she remarked cryptically, hinting at deeper, unspoken tensions. Redford’s reluctance toward kissing scenes, especially in romantic roles, added invisible barriers to their performances.

Yet, Fonda is careful to note Redford’s goodness, speaking with both admiration and disappointment. Their final film together, Our Souls at Night, became a quiet coda to their professional and emotional journey—a story of two older characters finding comfort after a lifetime of emotional avoidance, mirroring the real-life relationship that played out behind the scenes.

Lily Tomlin: Friendship Forged in Fire

If Redford was the complicated partner, Lily Tomlin was the soulmate. Fonda and Tomlin’s friendship is one of Hollywood’s most enduring and meaningful connections. They met in 1977, when Fonda attended Tomlin’s one-woman show in Los Angeles. Struck by Tomlin’s performance, Fonda decided that her upcoming film, 9 to 5, would only move forward if Tomlin agreed to join the cast.

9 to 5 became a cultural touchstone, tackling workplace harassment and gender inequality with sharp satire. Alongside Dolly Parton, Fonda and Tomlin played three working women who take revenge on their sexist boss. More importantly, the film cemented their friendship—a bond built on mutual respect, humor, and a shared awareness of the challenges women face in a male-dominated industry.

Their collaboration continued across decades, culminating in the Netflix series Grace and Frankie, which ran for seven seasons. The show brought Fonda and Tomlin even closer, allowing Fonda to feel emotionally safe in an industry where vulnerability is often risky. “I feel safe with her,” Fonda said. “She makes me laugh. She grounds me. She challenges me.”

Their friendship is both a partnership and a sanctuary—a rare and powerful connection that has evolved, deepened, and endured through decades of personal growth and shared purpose. Whether on stage, screen, or the front lines of protest, Fonda and Tomlin are partners in a kind of friendship that defies stereotypes and continues to inspire.

Richard Roundtree: A Kiss to Remember

Not all memorable moments in film are scripted. Sometimes, they’re the result of chance, timing, and a bit of human resilience. Such was the case for Jane Fonda and Richard Roundtree in the 2022 dark comedy Moving On. The film centers on grief, revenge, and late-life reckoning, but it was a single kissing scene between Fonda and Roundtree that added an unexpected and amusing chapter to their Hollywood journeys.

Fonda and Roundtree play ex-spouses who reconnect at a funeral, rediscovering affection buried beneath decades of regret. The culmination of their emotional thread arrives in a passionate makeout scene—unusual not only because of the characters’ age, but because Fonda and Roundtree had never crossed romantic paths on screen.

On the day the scene was scheduled, Fonda came down with a miserable cold. Rather than force the moment, the production delayed the kiss until she recovered, calling Roundtree back to set for a single reason: to kiss Jane Fonda. For seasoned professionals, it was just part of the business—and a particularly amusing one.

Fonda approached the moment with enthusiasm, her illness sidelining the kiss but never her determination. For Roundtree, the scene was both fun and surprising, revealing a quieter, more romantic side to an actor known for his toughness. Their mutual respect made the scene work, becoming a quiet highlight of the film’s emotional arc.

Tragically, Roundtree passed away in October 2023, just over a year after Moving On premiered. The scene now carries additional emotional weight—a playful anecdote transformed into a cherished memory between two icons who found something meaningful in their brief cinematic connection.

Jean-Luc Godard: Genius and Disappointment

In a revealing Cannes interview, Jane Fonda offered a sharp reflection on the difference between artistic brilliance and personal behavior. The subject was Jean-Luc Godard, the iconoclastic French director and central figure in the revolutionary Nouvelle Vague movement. Fonda worked with Godard on the 1972 film Tout Va Bien, and her words were pointed: “He was a great filmmaker. But as a man, I’m sorry. No, no.”

Fonda’s critique wasn’t delivered with rage or resentment, but with the calm authority of someone who has spent a lifetime navigating powerful men and difficult working relationships. She acknowledged Godard’s contributions to cinema without flinching at his failings as a human being.

Their collaboration was meant to be a convergence of two radical spirits, but the reality was chaotic, opaque, and at times dehumanizing. Godard’s directing style favored ideology over individuals, treating actors more like symbols than people. For Fonda, who brought intense emotional commitment and political consciousness to her work, this could feel cold and dismissive.

Her criticism of Godard wasn’t about settling old scores; it was about holding a mirror up to an industry that still struggles to reconcile genius with decency. Fonda’s words were brief, but carried the weight of experience—a great filmmaker, but as a man, no.

Katharine Hepburn: Respect Without Warmth

Working on the 1981 film On Golden Pond was one of the most meaningful and complex chapters of Jane Fonda’s career. The film brought together Fonda, her father Henry Fonda, and the formidable Katharine Hepburn—a dream project on the surface, but one fraught with tension beneath.

“It was glorious, but she didn’t like me,” Fonda has said, distilling an emotionally charged working relationship into one of her most diplomatically honest statements. Hepburn was unimpressed by Fonda’s Hollywood royalty status and the political noise that came with it. She was disciplined, private, and traditional; Fonda, at the time, was a controversial figure and outspoken activist.

The friction simmered beneath the surface, never erupting into open hostility but always present. Hepburn famously told Fonda she admired her athleticism but didn’t think much of her acting—a classic Hepburn backhanded compliment, cutting but not devoid of respect.

Fonda doesn’t rewrite the story to suit ego or defensiveness. Instead, she recognizes the complexity of the experience. Working with Hepburn and her father on a film that symbolized healing and generational change was glorious, even if it came wrapped in subtle discomfort.

Over time, Fonda came to appreciate the veiled lessons Hepburn offered: unwavering commitment to craft, strict discipline, and unshakable sense of self. Though Hepburn may not have extended warmth, she demonstrated a kind of integrity that Fonda ultimately respected. Fonda admits she wanted Hepburn’s approval and never really got it—a profoundly human response from someone who has earned global acclaim.

Lessons From a Lifetime in Hollywood

Jane Fonda’s honesty is a gift to anyone who has ever struggled to find their voice in the face of power, ego, or emotional neglect. Her stories are not just about difficult co-stars; they are about the resilience required to survive in an industry that romanticizes tortured genius and excuses toxic behavior.

Fonda’s reflections on Redford, Tomlin, Roundtree, Godard, and Hepburn are not acts of revenge or bitterness. They are acts of reclamation, moments of truth-telling that add depth to the narratives Hollywood prefers to keep simple. She shows us that brilliance without respect is just arrogance in disguise—and that no scene, no film, no paycheck is worth the price of self-worth.

For fans who have loved her for decades, Fonda’s revelations are both shocking and deeply human. They reveal the hidden battles behind the glamour, the strength behind the smile, and the courage it takes to speak the truth after years of silence.

As Fonda herself demonstrates, legacy is complicated. Someone can be brilliant and deeply flawed. Someone can make great films and still, in Fonda’s eyes, not be a good person. Her story is a testament to the power of honesty, the necessity of boundaries, and the enduring strength of a woman who, against all odds, found her voice—and kept it.