[music]
>>Q: You were really wonderful in 'Agnes of God'
>>Jane Fonda: Thank you. >>I saw the stage version.
This one is even more powerful. >>I think that the writer,
John Pielmeier and the director Norman Jewison
really did a wonderful job at
taking this almost stylized and very intense play and
opening it up cinematically
and making it much more of a detective story.
It really is a whodunit.
Who killed the baby?
Was it the nun? Was it the Mother Superior?
Was it, who was the father?
and all the audiences that have seen it so far
really get involved in that.
They don't know how it's going to turn out
and they're very engrossed and
and it's unusual that both levels are equally as resonant
as they are in this movie I think.
Some of the very difficult scenes we must have done
30 times, I mean, they're really
and as you know because you've seen it
some of the scenes are unbelievably intense
where I put this child, this young nun played by Meg Tilly,
under hypnosis and ask her to relive her impregnation.
>>mm-hmm
>>I mean, I'm telling you this, this actress, Meg Tilly, who is
I mean, she's just unbelievable.
[film clip] [indistinct dialogue]
>>Q: Which side were you more attracted to?
I mean, do you have faith? Do you believe in miracles?
>>Fonda: I've been in both places and I understand the conflict
very much and I'm still, you know, kind of working it out
and asking myself those questions
so I really enjoyed dealing with that
but when I first read the script what I realized was
well two things, that it could be
a successful movie because of the strength of the mystery
but also it was such fun to act as an actress.
It's, you know I'm, most people don't really think about it but
sometimes movie-making is real frustrating
from an actress's point of view
The scenes are real short. There's a lot of, most of the time
is spent getting in and out of cars, walking in and out of doors,
doing things that don't particularly give you
a lot of satisfaction and fulfillment
although when you put them all together
they can add up to a good movie.
This project has scenes that are, some of them were ten pages long
and because I was, Anne Bancroft is such a pro for example
and Meg Tilly and, you know,
they learn all these lines very easily
we could just go through the entire ten pages without stopping,
and it's like a racehorse you know
it gives you a chance to get your gears goin'
and warm up and just really let fly
and it's, it's unusual and it's, it's very rewarding.
>>I'm going to name a decade and you give me a description of yourself.
The 50s
>>Rebel. I went from being an adolescent to being a young adult
and that's the, I mean it's, it's the worst period,
I think, for anybody but especially a young woman
and particularly difficult if you're
if you have famous parents because, I mean,
I've got a daughter who's going through it right now, you
it's the time in your life when you're searching for an identity.
>>And then the 60s
>>I was more conservative. [laughter]
I was. I got married. I mean I
in an attempt to try to again establish an independent identity
I went to France. I spoke fluent French and I felt real comfortable
there and I, I lived and worked in France for 8 years
and married a Frenchman, had a daughter
>>There's something very bizarre about Vanessa
being born on Brigitte Bardot's birthday in the same hospital
room as Catherine Deneuve had a baby, also by Roger.
Is that all right, correct?
>>And took her first step in life as the man stepped on the moon.
This child is unusual.
>>This child is going to Brown?
>>This child at 16, a year younger than normal,
than usual, is going to Brown University.
>>And one of her classmates will be Amy Carter?
>>That's right
Not her roommate thank heaven, though.
>>Oh yeah, that would be a little much. [laughter]
Do you think it'll be tough being your daughter?
>>Do I think? >>Yeah yeah
>>I know that it's tough being my daughter.
>>So what's going to be different about her?
I mean you had the famous father. She has the famous mother.
>>Well see, I had a famous father who was a movie star.
>>Well you're a movie star!
>>She's got a mother who is also politically controversial
where you have, you know, both attitudes coming at
>>mm-hm >>me and that affects her
pro and con.
She's got the workout
stuff you know which
>>Is she going to take your tapes with her and
>>She won't do the workout.
>>She won't do the workout? >>No
>>She's a little bit of a rebel too? [laughs]
>>Yeah, yes
>>Okay, so I think we're at the 60s. Now the 70s.
>>I became a political activist in the 70s and primarily was
involved in trying to end the war in Vietnam and met my husband,
Tom Hayden, and had a son >>Troy
>>A second child, Troy
We run a children's camp and
oh Lord, they have dances
and I walked into the, his session of camp
and they were having a slow dance
and he was slow dancing
[whimpering] with a girl. >>Oh no!
>>He never danced with anyone but me before.
>>You know, nowadays you're such a role model for so many women.
Do you like having that responsibility?
>>Well, I think when you're a famous person
you automatically have that responsibility.
>>Do you ever think about running for office?
>>Oh yeah, I've thought about it and I totally rejected the idea.
>>What about being first lady?
Would you like that?
>>I don't think that it's in the cards so I don't think about it, no.
>>Don't set yourself up for disappointment?
>>Well, Tom's in the state legislature.
There's a long distance from Sacramento to Washington
in many ways.
>>I've covered a number of his campaigns.
You couldn't be there for the last victory
because you were shooting 'Agnes of God'
but you've actually campaigned for him.
You've gone door to door >>Yeah, I love doing that.
>>throughout Santa Monica. >>I really love it.
>>It's my favorite part of >>Now tell me,
What's the reaction when Jane Fonda comes to the door?
>>It ranges from, you know, knock knock
who's there, Jane Fonda, oh yeah sure
and then nothing happens
and knock knock, it's Jane Fonda.
No you're kidding. Yes it is.
And they open the little door and they look out and then
and they scream and yell and carry on and
bring everyone to the door and
>>Take pictures?
>>but the really wonderful stuff is
when you say you know, it's Jane Fonda
and they ask you in and they sit you down
and they give you a cup of tea
and they, and they talk.
>>Do you think the time would ever come
when you'd stop being as involved
and be concentrating solely on your acting?
>>Well, I'm much less involved than I used to be
and I think that it's hurt
in some ways it's hurt my filmmaking
in the sense that
you know, whether it was
'Coming Home' or '9 to 5', 'Rollover,'
these films came out of
things that I had learned and had seen and experienced as an activist
but out of necessity I've, I've had to cut back on that
and concentrated more, both on the
workout business and on making movies.
>>And Madonna has been getting in shape at the workout.
>>It's the only time that my son has become interested in the workout.
>>When Madonna was there
>>Well yeah, I told him, guess who was exercising next to me today
and now every day he says, was she there today?
I said yes and she's cut her hair and dyed it brown.
Oh, she has?
Yes, and I said and the other day Sean Penn was there
and he came in and took her out of class. [laughter]
>>Well, I hope 'Agnes' is a big hit for you. Thanks for
spending some time with us. >>It was good to see you again.