Jane Fonda is remembering her longtime friend and frequent costar with honesty, warmth, and a touch of humor. While speaking at the 2026 TCM Classic Film Festival, the actress looked back on her years working with Robert Redford and shared how difficult fame sometimes seemed for him.
According to PEOPLE, Fonda reflected on Redford during the opening night screening of Barefoot in the Park, the 1967 romantic comedy they starred in together. Redford, who died in September 2025 at age 89, worked with Fonda four times across his long career, creating a screen partnership that remained beloved for decades.
Jane Fonda Remembered His Early Star Power
Fonda recalled working with Redford before he became one of Hollywood’s biggest names. During the making of Barefoot in the Park, she remembered walking through the Paramount lot and noticing secretaries opening their doors to watch him pass. That moment made her realize he was headed for major stardom.
She described him as a natural movie star, praising his looks, intelligence, humor, and love of practical jokes. Their chemistry had already begun with The Chase in 1966, where they appeared alongside Marlon Brando. One year later, Barefoot in the Park gave audiences a lighter look at their onscreen connection, with Redford playing a serious young lawyer and Fonda playing his free-spirited wife.
Fame Often Made Him Uncomfortable
Fonda said she saw the weight of his popularity more clearly while filming The Electric Horseman in 1979. She joked that he was often late, which stretched the production far longer than expected. Much of that time was spent in Las Vegas, where she witnessed women rushing toward him and reacting intensely whenever they saw him. Those moments left a strong impression on Fonda because Redford did not seem to enjoy that kind of attention. She said it made him uncomfortable, even though he understood the power that fame gave him. That power later helped him build Sundance, which changed the future of independent film and gave smaller stories a stronger place in American cinema.
Robert Redford’s career stretched far beyond his image as a handsome leading man. His films included Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, All the President’s Men, The Natural, Out of Africa, and many more. He also won an Oscar for directing Ordinary People, proving that his influence behind the camera mattered just as much as his work onscreen. Fonda and Redford reunited one final time in Our Souls at Night, a quiet 2017 drama about two older neighbors finding comfort in each other. After his death, Fonda’s memories now carry even more emotional weight. They reveal not only the public legend but also the private man who struggled with fame while using it to open doors for others.
