Lily Tomlin Recalls First Impression Of BFF Jane Fonda During Initial Meeting: 'She Was Very Glamorous'
By Fiyin Olowokandi on March 17, 2023 at 10:30 PM EDT
Lily Tomlin is reflecting on her longtime relationship with Jane Fonda!
Both actresses have dominated the entertainment industry for decades, earning icon status for their numerous achievements. Aside from being Hollywood veterans, the dynamic pair are best friends with a bond lasting over ten years.
From working as co-stars to having fun off-camera, the pair are as close as two peas in a pod. How did their beautiful friendship start? Tomlin spilled the tea about the pals' first encounter in a recent interview.
Lily Tomlin Admits She Was Impressed By Jane Fonda During Their First Meeting
At 83, the "Grandma" star continues to make waves in the entertainment industry with her comedic acting skills. Tomlin recently co-starred alongside her best friend Fonda in the movie, "Moving On."
During the premiere of the pair's latest film, ET Online got to ask the Grammy Award winner about her relationship with Fonda. Recalling the duo's first encounter at the Ahmanson, a famous L.A. theater, Tomlin confessed it was love at first sight.
Although the meeting happened decades ago, the actress could not forget being awestruck by her friend's beauty and fashion sense. "It was absolutely like a glamor trip. She was very glamorous. She had a black cape on and boots, big high boots, and a lot of hair going like that," the stand-up personality gushed.
"We were all very excited backstage at the Ahmanson," the entertainer continued, confessing that she could not pinpoint the exact year the friends met. "I was doing my show there, in like, 73 or something. I don't remember the year."
In "Moving On," Fonda and Tomlin put their friendship on display as they portray the duo, Claire and Evelyn. Their characters were mourning the loss of their mutual friend, Joyce, who they suspected was murdered by her husband.
As the comedian recalled, the longtime pals first met backstage in 1977 at Tomlin's one-woman comedy show, "Appearing Nitely." However, the Tony Award winner had been a fan of Fonda before their first meeting. The "A Prairie Home Companion" actress fell for the 85-year-old after seeing her in the 1971 movie "Klute."
Three years after hitting things off backstage, the duo starred alongside Country music legend Dolly Parton in the film "9 to 5." Fonda confessed that it took a year to get her co-stars on board with the movie, which became a box office hit.
Working together on the comedy flick helped the actresses forge the long-lasting relationship they have today. In a 2015 TED talk, the Detroit native explained how the movie improved their friendship.
"We laughed so much; we found we had so much in common. Here [Jane] is, like Hollywood royalty; I'm like a tough kid from Detroit; [Dolly's] a Southern kid from a poor town in Tennessee. And we found that we were so in sync as women," the SAG nominee gushed.
The 83-year-old echoed similar sentiments in a 2017 interview, where she said, "We've been friends ever since. We're friends because I just love her. I know Jane has my back whenever she can."
Fonda's feelings for the "Barefoot in the Park" star were mutual as the Oscar winner aired her love for Tomlin to Jimmy Kimmel in 2019. In the blonde beauty's words, "I am fascinated by her. She always says something really funny. I cannot believe the funny-bone that she has, and I have loved her since the moment I saw her."
Jane Fonda Revealed Her Biggest Regret In Life
Last month, The Blast reported that the "My Life So Far" author opened up about her "biggest regret" confessing that she regretted how she raised her kids. The 85-year-old explained that she had no expertise in parenthood, causing her to feel uneasy about her past actions.
"What I’m really scared of is getting to the end of life with a lot of regrets when there’s no time to do anything about it. And it’s one reason that I try, I’m trying to get it all done before I come to the end," Fonda divulged in a heart-to-heart interview with CNN’s Chris Wallace.
"I was not the kind of mother that I wish that I had been to my children," the Golden Globe Award winner continued. "I have great, great children, talented and smart, and I just didn’t know how to do it."
The New Yorker noted that she gained more knowledge about parenting through her charity organization, the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention. Thanks to the new wisdom, the mother-of-three became more intentional with her children.
