Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, stars of the Netflix series “Grace and Frankie,” have been working in show business for half a century — and they have no plans to stop anytime soon.
“Retirement? No. It’s a foreign concept to me.” Fonda said in an interview from the June/July issue of AARP The Magazine.
“I might not be able to continue acting at some point, but then I can write or produce,” said the 77-year-old star. “There are any number of things I could do. I get so much from my work, and I continually try to improve.”
For Tomlin, 75, work is essential to her existence. “My comedy is a part of my life,” she said. “I’ll never say, ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, this is my last performance,’ maybe my last for the day, sure, but not my last ‘last.’”
While retirement is not an option, the duo noted that they have changed quite a bit over the years, including growing more accepting of the things they can and can’t do.
Fonda explained she couldn’t possibly manage both working as an actress and teaching aerobics classes, as she once did. “I’m 77. My body couldn’t do that now,” she said. “But I have a better brain, a better outlook on life and a greater sense of well-being.”
The actresses also talked about their romantic lives Tomlin recently married writer Jane Wagner, and Fonda is dating former record producer Richard Perry.
“Relationships aren’t always easy,” Tomlin said. “Ours is still sweet, but it gets bumpy and hilly now and then, and that’s just reality. I cannot fathom life without her.”
Fonda’s approach to love has shifted over time. “It never occurred to me in 70 years that kindness was important in a relationship,” she said. “Fascination, sex appeal, intelligence, yes. Why aren’t we taught that kindness matters?”