Jane Fonda is a two-time Academy Award winner and one of the most famous actresses in America, but there was a time early in her career when she considered packing it in.
It came after working on her film debut, the 1960 comedy Tall Story, co-starring Anthony Perkins.
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“I had decided after my first movie, Tall Story, that I was going to quit while I was ahead,” Fonda, 87, said in an interview with Variety published on Wednesday, Feb. 19.
Jane is the daughter of acclaimed actor Henry Fonda, who won an Academy Award in 1982 for his starring role in On Golden Pond. Her brother Peter Fonda also has some impressive credits, including cowriting and starring in the revolutionary 1969 film Easy Rider.
Jane’s family connections didn’t seem to matter when she made the transition from Broadway to movies in the film adaptation of Howard Nemerov’s 1597 novel The Homecoming Game, retitled Tall Story.
“I didn’t enjoy the experience. And before we started shooting, Josh Logan, the director-producer, said to me, ‘You should have your jaw broken so your cheeks aren’t so puffy.’ Stuff like that really builds a girl’s confidence,” she revealed in the recent interview.
Although Fonda was uncertain about her future in film after that experience, so opted to carry on. It was a wise choice as her next role, starring in the 1962 drama Walk on the Wild Side, changed her career as well as her life.
“That made all the difference in the world,” she said, noting that role “was a real character. She wasn’t some cheerleader from next door that I had a hard time relating to. She rode around in a boxcar and then she becomes a hooker in a high-class brothel run by Barbara Stanwyck. And I had a blast.”
The role garnered Fonda her first Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer.
Six decades later, Fonda will be honored once again on Sunday, Feb. 23, with a Life Achievement Award by Julia Louis-Dreyfus at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. While announcing the award in October 2024, SAG noted that “Jane Fonda’s acclaimed career, which spans six decades, has captivated audiences with her versatile performances across film, television and theater, while using her platform to champion critical social causes.”
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