Jane Fonda, whose film career started in 1960, reveals that at age 79, death is on her mind.
“The way I figure, the way to live, especially in the latter part of your life, is to envision how you want to die,” Fonda told Town and Country. She turns 80 on December 21.
“I think we all would like it to be in bed, surrounded by family and loved ones,” she added. “To get there you have to work hard to heal the wounds and mend the fences. Because in the end it’s alway what you didn’t do, not what you did.”
Having lived a full life thus far, Fonda appears braver than ever.
“I’m not afraid of death, but I’m afraid of getting to the end without becoming the best I can be as a person,” she said. “I think it’s why I never was able to stay with a husband.”
Fonda was married to Roger Vadim from 1965 to 1973, Tom Hayden from 1973 to 1990 and Ted Turner from 1991 to 2001. She and Richard Perry, who did not marry, ended their eight-year relationship in January.
“I just always saw that it could get better,” she added. “That sounds terrible. I wouldn’t want to erase any of them. But they all seem like stepping stones.”