♪ >> welcome to this special edition of "amanpour on pbs." tonight, the amazing life of jane fonda. the oscar-winning actress joins me in the studio for a deeply personal conversation about aging, acting, and activism. she was open and frank about the horrific sexual-abuse scandal rocking hollywood that eventually started a movement. ♪ >> "amanpour on pbs" was made possible by the generous support of rosalind p. walter. >> good evening, everyone, and welcome to the program. i'm christiane amanpour in london.

jane fonda -- actress, activist, force of nature. for decades, jane fonda has delighted onstage and on the screen, taking home oscars for the 1971 thriller "klute" and the acclaimed "coming home" in 1978. as her star power grew, fonda dove into acvism, fighting for women's rights, campaigning against war, even traveling to vietnam. there was her fitness empire, churning out 17 million exercise videos that were sold worldwide. fonda's famous marriage to cnn founder ted turner coincided with a break from acting, but she came back with a bang, most recently starring in the netflix hit "grace and frankie." and in "our souls at night," she reunites with actor robert redford. she is indeed hollywood royalty, and she joined me in the studio just as one of the biggest stories of the year was breaking, the sexual harassment of dozens of actresses by the mega-producer harvey weinstein.

joining me now, jane fonda. >> so good to see you again. >> well, welcome to the program. you are really, i want to say, in the full flush of youth. you are doing new films. they're being critically celebrated. what made you want to do a love story now? [ laughs ] >> well, you know, old people can fall in love, too, especially [chuckles] when it's my pal robert redford. he bought the book "our souls at night" by kent haruf. it's a wonderful story, and he was smart enough to ask me to be in it with him -- smart because, you know, we have such a long history. this is the fourth movie we've done together, and this is about two old people in a tiny town in colorado who kind of know each other. so the fact that we actually have a history together made it easier to get comfortable in the roles, and people just love this movie. >> well, and you, as the older lead, you actually were very bold.

you go up to him, and you knock on the door, and you say, "i have a proposal for u." fill in the blanks. >> afteronths and nths of fretting about it -- that's before the movie begins -- i decide to go over and say to him, "would you sleep with me? what do you think? come over to my house and sleep with me?" and then he reacts really weird, and i say, "it's not about sex, no. it's just i'm lonely." you know, she's been a widow, he's a widow. "i need someone to just lay in bed and talk. nights are the worst." and he says he'll think about it, and then he does, and it's what we do. we are "souls at night." we lie in bed, and we... [ sighs ] and we talk, and we bare our souls, and that's how relationships should start. you know, i realized during the movie, "why don't we always do this to begin relationships?" >> that's a good idea, jane.

>> instead of falling for each other, and then who knows who is who? because we're fallen and we're facedown. and, this way, we ease into a face-to-face. >> i want to drag you to a rather unfortunate -- in fact, horrendous story that's going on in hollywood right now, and then we'll get back into the films. because you're talking about people falling in love and the legitimate sexual and intimate relations between people. so, what has been your reaction to the allegations now by more and more hollywood actresses against harvey weinstein? >> i'm glad it's coming out. i'm so proud of those fellow actors that are speaking up, and i know that it's taken a long time. it's a very, very hard thing to do. you don't get anything out of it as the person who's been victimized, but it's importa that it co out. but let's not think that this is some unique horrific -- this goes on all the time. >> in hollywood? >> it's this male entitlement.

in hollywood and everywhere -- in offices and businesses all over the world, in bars, in restaurants, in stores. women are assaulted, abused, harassed, and... seen for just being sexual objects there for a man's desire instead of as whole human beings. >> did that ever happen to you? >> it has happened to me. it has. i only met harvey when i was old, and harvey goes for young because that's more vulnerable, you know? but it's very, very common. bill cosby, you know, another example of hollywood. but, you know, dominique... >> strauss-kahn of the imf. >> for example. he's not in hollywood. but, you know, this is not unique. this goes on at the most horrendous high levels. >> what do you think hollywood

men should do right now -- studio heads, leading actors? 'cause it can't just be the women who have to be brave enough, especially, as you say, most of them were young, fledgling careers. >> yes. we have to be helped my men. it's important to know that not all men are predators. there are good men, and the good men have to stand up and defend us and embody other ways of being. we have to believe theomen w come forward. we have to speak out. i found out about harvey about a year ago, and i'm ashamed that i didn't say anything right then. >> why didn't you? you're so bold. >> i-i was not that bold, [chuckles nervously] because i guess it hadn't happened to me and so i didn't feel it was my place. >> what did you know? >> one of the women who has spoken out, rosanna arquette, told me, and it, you know...

it came as a shock and a great disappointment. >> they say it was an open secret in hollywood. >> i didn't realize that, but i believe that it's -- apparently, it was so common that everybody must have known. and, of course, these kind of men, it's not only sexual predation. these tend to be men who treat other people not well -- i mean, not people they need, not people like meryl streep or me in my old age. but, you know, he didn't treat the people who worked with him well. he was just not a nice person, although he could be nice when he needed to. and this is very common among these kind of men. it's a mind-set. >> you said it happened to you -- obviously not with harvey weinstein but in your youth. >> [ chuckling ] want me to give you an example? very first french film that i made, the director didn't speak very good english, and he flew to l.a. to pitch me the story,

which was hard for me to even understand what the story was. but i remember him saying to me -- and i was 20. he said to me, "in the movie, your character has to have an orgasm, and [inhales sharply] i really need to know what kind of orgasms you have." and so he wanted me to sleep [laughing] with him. i... >> that subtle? >> [ laughs ] yes. >> that is unbelievable. >> well, it shouldn't be. i mean, that kind of thing goes on. and i turned him down. i got the pa anyway, and, you know, he was very nice after that. >> so, what would you actually say to young actresses right now who feel that they can't turn down a harvey weinstein or whoever it is because of the part? you obviously did, and you are a mega star. >> you have to say no. you have to understand... that you have control over your body and that you have to say no

and you have to talk and tell when something like that happens. if we all talked and told, then they'd be too afraid to do it, i think -- i hope. >> that is a very good lesson. >> but, i mean, donald trump is... we have a man who is president who does these things, and what kind of a message does that say? unfortunately, that counteracts a lot of the good that we're doing because a lot of men see, "well, our president does it, and he got elected even after people discovered that he was an abuser, so i'm just gonna go ahead and do what i want to do." it's unacceptable, and we can't ever forget that, and we have to stand up to them. >> mm. you've spoken before about having been abused when you were a kid, when you were 15. can you talk about that? >> well, i was actually eight, and i -- >> eight? >> yes, and i did not realize it until...

it's too long and complicated to go into, but what happens very often is that we shut it down. we blank it out. i could only remember up to a certain point, and then i had no idea. and i had to go into therapy and be kind of hypnotized to remember what happened after the point at which i had blacked out. but, you know, when i was older, i got fired as a secretary becausi wouldn't sleep [laughing] with my boss. >> do you feel sorry for these young actresses who've had that, all these people who are saying what happened to them? you know, what does it do to them? you managed to get therapy. i mean, you're a survivor. some people may not be able -- >> well, i know the women, and they're survivors, too. talking is the most important thing, as alice miller wrote,

the great psychologist -- you know, "breaking the wall of silence." talking is the first step to healing. you know, it's why what eve ensler does -- my dear friend -- why she's so important, standing up and speaking. you know, i have an adopted child who was very badly abused as a child, and this is triggering -- the harvey weinstein stuff and the recording of his voice is triggering the deep terror in her. so it is hard to get over it. but if this happens to you when you're a very young person, you need therapy. and there is a relational therapy that does work if it's properly done. you have to relearn the fact that you are someone besides your sexuality, that you're a whole human being that can once again trust somebody. but it takes work, and it takes time. >> so, let's back to happier

conversations. you know, here you are, nearly 80, apparently -- although you wouldn't know it to look at you, but your bio is out there. and you have this amazing romantic film with robert redford, who you've acted with many, many times before. what was it like to be with him again? >> well, it was wonderful. i care for him so much, admire him and what he's done for american cinema with the creation of the sundance institute. but on a personal level, here's what was so great for me. i realized that i'd grown up. you see, i'd made three other movies, and, every single time, i fell in love with him. i did. he's easy to fall in love with. but he's also -- he's a "black irishman," and he's very moody, and there would be days when he'd not say a word to me except what was in -- >> this handsome robert redford? >> that one, yeah. >> really? moody? >> and putting on that movie, which was our second movie together. >> is that "barefoot in the park"?

>> that's "barefoot in the park," yes. >> so glamorous. so young! >> and he wouldn't say a word to me, and i'd think i've done something. we checked in to a hotel in "our souls at night," and it occurred to me when we're there at the -- right there, during that. i said, "what does this remind you of, bob?" and he couldn't remember. i said, "barefoot in the park"! i said, "this is the second time we're checking into a hotel to do it for the first time," because we were still virgins... >> [ laughs ] >> ...then. so i've done this twice. but, anyway, this is why i realized that i'd grown up. >> i want to play a little clip from that. basically, you've been sleeping together, just talking all night for a good part of the film, and en he says, kind of, "why don't we gon aate?" let's play it. ♪ [ birds singing ]

♪ >> so, i've been thinking... i've got this idea. >> i'm listening. >> why don't we go into town, have lunch... just take our time and enjoy ourselves? >> in public? >> yeah. >> [ laughs ] when do you want to do it? >> sunday. about noon? >> sounds fine to me. [ chuckles ] maybe i'll wear something bright and flashy. >> [ chuckles ] aww! it's adorable. you know, look, the truth of the matter is that many women have complained that there just aren't enough roles as you get older. and in hollywood, old is like 35. i mean, correct me if i'm wrong. but is there sort of a new movement? because the whole population is aging. >> yeah, it's the fastest-growing demographic in the world, is older women. i think it's slowly aging, and,

i'll tell you, a lot of that has to do with the growth of television. television is very forgiving for older people. >> how is that? >> well, it's a small screen. >> [ laughs ] >> there's less definition and all those nice things. and so more older women are getting good roles in television, and i think that's kind of spilling out into the independent films. the idea of two old people... opening their souls and baring their souls is so touching to me. and i wanted to do ibecause it needs to happen more -- for the same reason that i love doing "grace and frankie" with lily, because we have to give a cultural face to older women. and it's not all about being over the hill. it's, "yes, we're over the hill, but look at the meadows on the other side of the hill and the wildflowers and all the animals that we never looked at before

and then new hills." you know, life doesn't end. >> what launched you again into moviemaking? i mean, i know, because you were married to my boss, ted turner, for a long time, that you sort of voluntarily -- maybe, maybe not -- took a hiatus from your work. you took some 15 years off acting. >> yeah. >> and you came back. >> i had no intention of coming back. i quit, and then ted came along. i didn't quit because of him, although [chuckles] i wouldn't have been able to marry him if i was working, 'cause he needs full time... yes. [ both laugh ] love him dearly. i quit because of my -- i just didn't... >> didn't want to. >> i didn't find joy in acting anymore. and then i had 10 years with ted and then 5 years writing my memoirs, and those two things together turned me into a different person, a more hopeful person, and i thought, "well, maybe i can find joy in acting again." >> you said he's your favorite ex, your best ex. >> well, he is so much fun to be

with. he's so smart. i learned so much from him -- never a dull moment. you know, just to try to sum it up in a nutshell -- ted lives horizontally. he moves very fast to stay ahead of the demons. and as i approached and passed 60 with him, i said, "ted, i want to slow down, you know? let's live vertically. let's try to go deep." and he couldn't, and i didn't want to keep living out of suitcases. but we're in touch. we see each other all the time. >> what would you say is his greatest legacy? >> well, i think his most famous and greatest legacy is... cnn! you know, that really did change media. also, bringing home the america's cup -- he was the world's greatest sailor for awhile. but under the radar, less known -- unless you've read the

books about him -- he has saved huge swaths of land, both in the united states and in patagonia and in tierra del fuego, to be able to preserve species -- animals, insects, birds, plants. he has brought back species that were extinct in the wild. i mean, think of that. i have this vision of ted dying and going to heaven, and there's this chorus of animals -- of critters, bees, and birds and animals that are all singing and praising him. >> that's nice. as i said, he also is an activist, and you were an activist par excellence. you started with your vietnam activism, and then you had your women's -- and you still are in women's liberation and women's rights. you had the "keep fit" revolution. you've done a lot of things, including, with gloria steinem, doing the women's media...

>> center. >> women's media center. describe to me all of that. what is -- i mean, what is all that activism abt, with th sort of timeline? vietnam -- tell us who you were when you were in vietnam and opposing that war? >> i was a person who had spent too many years as a hedonist, with no meaning in my life. and i lived in france, i was married to a frenchman, and... the civil rights movement was going on and the anti-war movement was going on, and, more and more, i was feeling my life was empty. and i could watch television in france and see my fellow americans putting their lives on the line, and i realized i needed to do that. i was about 30.

and i left my husband, and i came home, and a series of things... happened that allowed me to understand that service is the rent you pay for life, that the way to live your life and die at peace is to know that you've done everything you could to make things better. >> i mean, you've changed a lot. you've evolved. i know everybody asks you this, but given what you're saying right now, was it right or wrong what you did in hanoi -- i mean, in the full flush of going back? >> going to hanoi was right because the united states was bombing the dikes, the earthen dikes, of north vietnam. they lied about it, but they were doing it. you can hear it on nixon's tapes. it would've meant, according to kissinger, a couple of million people starving or drowning, and no one was talking about it. so going was right.

talking on the radio, on hanoi radio, was right because i had worked with pilots and i knew what to say and i knew that they didn't know what was happening on the ground. sitting on an aircraft carrier was absolutely wrong, thoughtless. i didn't realize what i was doing until i walked away. and then i realized what had happened. i mean, it wasn't active. it was not like i was sitting and there were planes or anything like that. it was a ceremony. i kind of got convinced to do it, i didn't really want to go there, but it was my last day, and i did it, and i will go to my grave regretting it because it gave the image that i was against the soldiers, siding with the enemy, which was the opposite -- i'd spent three years working with active-duty soldiers and returned veterans, and i made "coming home" as a result of that and -- >> you got an oscar for that. >> yeah. but it was the largest regret of my life.

>> and then this sort of "beautiful body, active health" revolution. i mean, you were right on the front lines of that, before people really started embracing it. what sent you there? >> what made that happen? i was -- i suffered from eating disorders, addictions, bulimia, anorexia, for many, many years. and what i knew was that exercising diminished the anxiety that caused that to happen. and when i was in my early 40s, i stopped, i went cold turkey, and i didn't engage in my eating disorders, but i was like a dry drunk. in other words, it was all still there in me, but i wasn't doing anything about it. that's when i started the workout, and the workout helped me heal fully. but at the same time, i needed money to support the political

work that my then-husband tom hayden and i were doing. we had a statewide organization in california called the campaign for economic democracy. this was after the vietnam war ended, and we needed to fund it because the u.s. was in a recession, and so i started the workout to make money for the organization. i had no idea it was gonna be so successful! >> yeah, look. i mean, takes us back. apparently, according to the british film institute, there's been almost no change in women's characters on film here since 1913. apparently, it was 31% were women's roles in films. and in 2017, it's 30%. what does that say to you? >> that the people who [laughs] decide what goes on the screen are fools. there's more women than men. we live longer. we want to... men make the decision. this is why gloria steinem and

robin morgan and i started the women's media center, because women need to be in decision-making positions, not just onscreen but upstairs. and...women see the world differently. we respond differently. we're affected by, whether it's war -- whatever it is, we're affected differently than men. and if you don't include women's voices in the stories you're ve of human life.eaving out half and this isn't just bad for women -- it's bad for men because... >> not to mention half the moviegoers who pay for tickets and put bums on seats. >> yes, and, you know, you're sitting in a dark room, and you're very influenced by what comes off that screen as you're sitting there in a dark room. and if you don't, as a woman or girl, see yourself reflected on the screen, without even realizing it, you're gonna think of yourself as "less than." whereas if women's stories are

told more often from a woman's point of view, everyone benefits. it's a win-win. and more and more, i think, people are realizing it. >> you and helen mirren -- another similarly aged actress -- walked the catwalk in the latest fashion season. >> right. and i got to tell you a little behind-the-scenes story. okay. they closed down -- l'oréal closed down the champs-elyseés. that's a big thing. the runway started kind of towards the arc de triomphe, and you walked downhill and then turned around and walked back up. and... >> there you are. >> oh, god. >> it's great. look at that. that's ballsy. >> [ laughs ] >> how did it make you feel? and there's helen. >> when we -- she's sassy, isn't she? look at her. >> isn't she sassy? >> when the models came up the long walk, they were -- [ panting ] 'cause it was uphill. not me.

>> [ laughs ] >> not helen mirren. we weren't out of breath at all. and i noticed it, and i felt so good! >> and to what do you attribute that? >> we use our bodies a lot. >> fantastic. jane fonda, thank -- >> and we eat! >> important. >> the other ones don't eat. [ laughs ] >> jane, thank you so much. >> it's good to see you again. >> brave, frank, inspirational, and still out there. that's it for our special edition of "amanpour on pbs" with the hollywood legend jane fonda. thanks for joining me, goodbye from london, and see you again tomorrow night. ♪ >> "amanpour on pbs" was made possible by the generous support of rosalind p. walter. ♪ you're watching pbs.

katty: you're watching "beyond 100 days" on pbs. six difes protest, several dead and iran's supreme leader blames foreign countries for the unrest at home. christopher: demonstrators want better economic conditions at home and less engagement abroad a sentiment we've heard around the world. katty: the demonstrators are overwhelmingly young and frustrated at financial hardship and social repression. they're up against a government determined to stop them. donald trump is back in the white house , he has a packed agenda at home and lots of crises abroad. does he have a plan for 2018? christopher: and time's up, the