Jane Fonda clarifies Oscars quip about Streisand tribute to Robert Redford at TCM festival

Key facts

• Jane Fonda spoke at the TCM Classic Film Festival opening night on April 30, 2025.
• The festival honored the 1967 film 'Barefoot in the Park' starring Fonda and Robert Redford.
• Fonda clarified her earlier comment about Barbra Streisand's Oscar tribute to Redford was a joke.
• Fonda and Redford starred together in four films: 'The Chase' (1966), 'Barefoot in the Park' (1967), 'The Electric Horseman' (1979), and 'Our Souls at Night' (2017).
• Fonda admitted she had a crush on Redford that lasted over 50 years.
• Redford died on September 16, 2024, at age 89.
• Fonda praised Redford's creation of the Sundance Institute, which he funded personally.
• Fonda warned that pending media mergers threaten independent filmmaking.

Fonda sets the record straight on Oscars remark

Jane Fonda opened the TCM Classic Film Festival on Thursday night with a clarification: her widely reported comment about Barbra Streisand's Oscar tribute to Robert Redford was a joke. Speaking at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Fonda told TCM host Ben Mankiewicz that she had been on the red carpet at the Vanity Fair Oscar party in March when she quipped to Entertainment Tonight, "I want to know how come Streisand was up there doing that for Redford? She only made one movie with him; I made four! I have more to say." "I thought I was being funny," Fonda said. "But actually, I thought it was fabulous that they had Barbra out there, because that was such an iconic movie, and the song was so incredibly beautiful." She added, "Bob would have liked it." The audience applauded. Streisand had performed "The Way We Were" during the Oscars' In Memoriam segment for Redford, who died in September at age 89. The 1973 film of the same name, directed by Sydney Pollack, starred Streisand and Redford.

A five-decade crush and unrequited love

Much of Fonda's conversation with Mankiewicz revolved around her long-standing admiration for Redford. She first met him on the set of "The Chase" in 1966, when both were married — Fonda to French director Roger Vadim, Redford to his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen. "I asked him, 'Do you ever have affairs?'" Fonda recalled. "He had a weird answer. He said, 'Well, if I was going to have an affair, it would be with somebody that was like a hooker.'" Fonda described Redford as "the most gorgeous human being I had ever been with" and admitted she had a crush on him that persisted through their four films together. "I had such a crush on him, and it was painful," she said. During their second film, "Barefoot in the Park," which features a scene of the couple kissing in bed, Fonda said she used the cold weather as an excuse to snuggle up to him. "I remember being in the bed. We were supposed to be really cold, which gave an excuse to roll up against him." Even in their final film together, 2017's "Our Souls at Night," Fonda said they spent much of the movie in bed — but nothing happened. "But nothing," she repeated, to laughter.

Redford's legacy: Sundance and the fight for independent film

Fonda praised Redford's creation of the Sundance Institute, which he started in 1981 after getting the idea during the filming of "The Electric Horseman" in 1978. She noted that Redford disliked Hollywood's focus on commercial projects and wanted to support films with nuance and diversity. "He wanted diversity, he wanted complexity, he wanted surprises," she said. "He could have built an empire — and he built a nest for artists to feel safe." Fonda emphasized that Redford funded Sundance himself, writing a personal check every year rather than asking Hollywood for money. The institute has trained many filmmakers, including Alexander Payne and Jason Reitman, who were in the audience. Fonda said that 60% of the filmmakers trained were women, and many were directors of color. She also addressed the current state of the film industry, warning that pending media mergers threaten the independent spirit Redford championed. "When I look at what's happening in this town, when I look at the pending mergers, for example, if that goes through, we're gonna lose what Bob was trying to do," Fonda said. "I want to fight in the spirit of Robert Redford."

Redford's punctuality problem and the toll of fame

Despite her admiration, Fonda acknowledged a flaw in Redford: his chronic lateness. "The thing about him is that he's always two or three hours late, even when he's producing the movie," she said. She recalled that "The Electric Horseman," originally scheduled for two months of filming, took six months because of Redford's delays, much of it spent in Las Vegas. Fonda described the intense female attention Redford received, saying women would run to him and faint at his feet. "It was incredible; I had never seen anything like it. And it made him so uncomfortable," she said. "So it was hard for him to be a movie star. But he liked the power it gave him, because he was able to do Sundance."

A shared love of stone walls and a final tribute

Fonda revealed a surprising bond she and Redford shared: a passion for building stone walls. While making "The Chase," Redford was married to Lola, who was studying architecture, and he wanted to be in Utah building stone walls. Fonda, then married to Vadim, had just built a house in the country and was also building stone walls. "We had such a good time talking about stacking stones," she said. During the festival, Fonda also joked about Redford's 1984 film "The Natural," in which he kisses Glenn Close. "I hated watching him kiss Glenn Close," she said, prompting Mankiewicz to suggest she share that sentiment at Close's handprint ceremony the next day. Fonda concluded by reflecting on her long collaboration with Redford. "He's the only person I made four movies with, and would have done a lot more if I had the chance," she said. "But I loved him and I deeply respect him."

The bottom line

• Jane Fonda clarified that her Oscars red carpet comment about Barbra Streisand's tribute to Robert Redford was a joke and that she loved the performance.
• Fonda and Redford starred in four films together over five decades, from 'The Chase' (1966) to 'Our Souls at Night' (2017).
• Fonda admitted to a long-standing crush on Redford, which she described as painful and unrequited.
• Redford founded the Sundance Institute in 1981, funding it personally, and trained a diverse generation of filmmakers.
• Fonda warned that pending media mergers threaten independent filmmaking and called for fighting in Redford's spirit.
• Redford's chronic lateness extended film productions, but his discomfort with fame was balanced by his use of it to create Sundance.