Jane Fonda is in firm possession of everything a woman could desire. The 77-year-old actress has two Academy Awards, scores of other trophies, one of the great acting careers in cinema history, is a longtime activist for LGBT equality, has beauty, wealth, two talented well-adjusted children, sex appeal, a taut body women half her age would envy and she looks stunning on the cover of the new issue of W magazine. However, the lady’s gaydar was once on the fritz. It’s just as faulty as that of the character she plays on the Netflix series Grace and Frankie, who is shocked to learn that her longtime husband is secretly gay and has been conducting a relationship with his best friend right under her perfect nose.
Fonda, despite growing up the hip Hollywood princess offspring of her movie star father Henry, once believed actor Warren Beauty Beatty, perhaps Hollywood’s most notorious Casanova, a heterosexual hound if one ever walked on two heels and whose list of lovers includes wife Annette Bening, Natalie Wood, Joan Collins, Julie Christie, Madonna (who famously called him “Pussy Man”), Diane Keaton and countless others, was gay when the two first met in 1959 during a screen test. Seducing women is Beatty’s game and he remembers that during the test the two attractive young actors “were thrown together like two lions in a cage and kissed until we had practically eaten each others’ heads off.” Fonda tells W she doesn’t remember the test at all but offers a confession with a chuckle: “I thought Warren was gay. He played piano, and all his friends were gay.”
Maybe Jane just thought tickling the ivories was secret code. It’s possible that the homosexual friends Fonda recalled were gay playwrights William Inge and Tennessee Williams. The actor turned on the old Beatty charm to land roles in Inge’s coming-of-age dramas A Loss of Roses and Splendor in the Grass, which respectively marked the actor’s Broadway and Hollywood debuts. The veteran writer was referred to at the time as Beatty’s “fairy godfather.” The 23-year-old Beatty likewise worked his charm on Williams to land the lead role of an Italian gigolo opposite Vivien Leigh in The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone. Williams is said to have remarked about Beatty:”He is so beautiful, just looking at him brings tears to my eyes. What a waste.”
On second thought, maybe it’s not so difficult to understand Jane’s confusion about Warren.
NJjoe
Fonda looks great for her age and just finished watching season one of “Grace and Frankie” which is a fun and emotional series- one of the best I’ve seen in years.
However, I suppose it was the “times,” a straight guy having gay friends would probably put questions into one’s head. I never got a gaydar reading from Warren Beatty and my gaydar is pretty damn good. Like Williams’ said, ”He is so beautiful, just looking at him brings tears to my eyes. What a waste.” He was a beautiful man.
IvanPH
She’s divine.
jason smeds
Jane Fonda is an attention-seeker. She comes across as if she’s trying to draw attention to herself in every possible way. It’s truly sad to see her like this.
As for her reported “I thought Warren Beatty was gay” notion, it seems like a silly thing to say from a silly woman. I mean, male sexuality isn’t always black and white and I personally wouldn’t be surprised if Beatty had had some flings with men during his long and colourful career. Is it too difficult for this sad woman to entertain this notion?
Perhaps Jane needs to get out of her attention-seeking mode and stop being such a tool.
Paul Wallin
Traitor!
Terry Weatherford
Rock Hudson was, duh!
NJjoe
Well, she is promoting a gay themed series she’s starring in, but Fonda has always sought attention whether it be the war in Vietnam and her successful work-out videos in the 80’s for examples. I just see it as the sign of the times, 1959, and I don’t really see her saying anything the article that was hurtful. Jane has always spoke her mind and continues to do so. And she is divine.
martinbakman
The comment sounds like an admission of her own dumb, innocent, unawareness: and how people can be so shortsighted about such things.
Jim Buccini
Conquests? Women are conquests?
Cam
@jason smeds: said.. “Jane Fonda is an attention-seeker. She comes across as if she’s trying to draw attention to herself in every possible way.”
__________________________
Weird, it’s almost as if she is an actress who is being paid to go out and do pulicity for the latest project she was in.
NoCagada
@jason smeds: “Jane Fonda is an attention-seeker.”
Projecting, again, son?
Christopher Trombley
Hey Paul Wallin!
jakester
I know a man personally who a 6 month affair with Beatty right before he made “Shampoo”. Maybe he likes both? It has happened before.
Paul Wallin
Hey, Trombley last I hear people have not forgotten the name Benedict Arnold ! I’ll bet if you were around at the time your Liberal ass would be protesting with her!
Glücklich
I still can’t believe she didn’t get the Oscar for “Barbarella.”
Matthew Sirvent
Krista Natale heheheh
Goforit
@jason smeds: Oh honey, that vision before you is a full length mirror. You might do well with a little self reflection.
Desert Boy
he story goes Warren Beatty loved to regularly get his c o c k sucked by gay men back in the day. Even as recently as the 1980’s, Beatty would drive up and down Santa Monica in West Hollywood, looking for a suitable guy to blow him. Does this make him gay? Not in my book — just horny and smart enough to know gay men are better c o c k suckers than women.
Paul Wallin
I must of touched the sweeter friends of Janey!
Paul Wallin
Trolling is wrong only if the subject is innocent!
SpunkyBunks
In her defense, she was also very young at the time. Do you expect a young woman in 1959 to know the ins and outs of gay culture? Her family was very gay friendly, so no need to shame on her. And yes, she gets a pass cause she’s badass!
Cam
@Paul Wallin:
You call her a traitor, fine, now, how do you feel about your senators and Congressmen, or President Bush supporting Saudi Arabia, when their support of Madras schools teaching Jihad and that America is evil is a direct attack on our system of govt? They’re traitors too right?
Or the fact that the 2nd largest owner of FOX News is a Saudi Prince who has been quoted as saying that a strong America is a bad thing. So Fox News is owned by traitors right?
Merv
I was surprised to see Jane Fonda and Martin Sheen involved in this project. Both are well known as hardcore Christians. I guess their religion goes out the window when there’s money involved.
Glücklich
@Merv:
I think they’re the OK kind of Christian: live and let live. Unitarian?
swedeintheus
PS- she has three kids
christopherducati
He was a very good looking guy when he was young.
James Hart
When Warren Beatty was young, he was GORGEOUS!
James Hart
@Glücklich: Martin Sheen is Roman Catholic.
da90027
She said it was 1959…who hasnt done or thought stupid things in their early twenties?
Clark35
I’m not surprised Beatty is bisexual since Cary Grant was.
Tony Ericsson Martinac
Bla bla bla
polarisfashion
@Cam: All of those people who lied us into war with Iraq should be in jail!!!
Chris L. Reynolds
Doesn’t look like her?sad!
Bob LaBlah
I have always felt Jane Fonda was NOT acting in the movie California Suite. She comes off just as she is, an opportunistic media whore who learned VERY early in life who to manipulate the media and make a FORTUNE. There is simply no way in hell she did not count on the American public’s disgust with the Vietnam and her antic’s against it to NOT help her career.
The same applies to her bullshit stance on nuclear power and the movie Meltdown back in the early 1980’s. Die already bitch.
Saint Law
@Cam: Jason’s Meds says this about pretty much any woman under discussion – that they’re attention seeking.
That isn’t what bothers him tho. It’s the fact that they get it. Coz he aint.
Saint Law
@jason smeds: ” this sad woman”.
Bitch, please.
scotshot
@Bob LaBlah: Time to go back to The Blaze, you come off as a common Troll.
Navalator
@jason smeds: You are a nut case and a liar.
Bob LaBlah
@scotshot: As a lying troll or a troll who told the facts as they are?
Suburbanbum
@Bob LaBlah: It must be awful to carry around such ugliness in your heart. I have pity for people like you. Perhaps you would feel better about your pathetic hatred of Jane Fonda if you followed your own advice to her and “DIE ALREADY…BITCH!”
Bauhaus
@jason smeds:
Your obsession with straight men is pathetic. Your hatred of women boils down to the fact that straight men want women, and not you. Get over it. Good grief.
wpewen
I’m always amused by the various reactions when Jane Fonda says anything. She stayed out of the radar for several years on purpose, whether she’s seeking attention or not I think people easily misread her. She’s Henry Fonda’s daughter, a brilliant beautiful actress so there’s really no way for her to stay out of the attention, I think generally she’s done the right thing. The stuff about Beatty is just for laughs, I would imagine that’s what everyone in Hollywood is thinking.
Jane was an early ally for gay rights. So was her husband, Tom Hayden, former radical and author of the Port Huron statement, SDS, politician, etc. They did a very good joint interview in the Advocate in the late 70’s Even then, lots of people wouldn’t talk to the gay press. They lived in Santa Monica at the time,and were ahead of the curve on social issues. Readers of Queerty might find it interesting to read themselves about Fonda, Hayden, Gloria Steinem, and others of the Left during the seventies. They were almost uniformly pro-gay rights, straight, and not afraid to step up to the plate for EVERYONE who is facing oppression. Food for thought for those of you thinking about who your allies really are…
Kenneth L. Kemp
Bob LaBlah
@Suburbanbum: Ugly facts are ugly facts that have to be faced and told to the young. Her marriage to Ted Turner was nothing but a publicity stunt that even she came to regret once she realized Turner really was crazy. Seriously, what has this bitch EVER done that she didn’t benefit financially from? Can’t think of ONE thing, can you? I’m not surprised. Neither would anyone else once they sit back and really think about how she disappeared once she had pumped whatever “cause” she was pimping for what it was worth financially.
Atomicrob
I’ve always been a huge fan of Ms. Fonda. We’ve been watching Grace and Frankie and enjoying it. Some of comments about her here are disappointing. Just watch Klute and you’ll be amazed at her beauty, acting skill and screen presence. Congrats and snaps to her!
Maude
She isn’t called “Hanoi Jane” for nothing.
She was and still is a traitor to America.
Google her and read what she really is, not what you want her to be.
The disgraced Richard Nixon nixed arresting and putting her on trial because he felt she had too many low-information followers who would cause even more turmoil than what was already going on in the sixties.
That was just one of his may mistakes. I do not defend Nixon, I condemn him.
If you read, really read about her deeds in North Korea against the American POW’S and the incredible torture she caused them to undergo, you may change your mind about her.
Her father, Henry told her he would report her, but he didn’t. Too bad.
He knew quite a lot, as does her brother Peter.
I understand blood ties, and I just wish Peter writes a book tell the full truth about her and her anti-American activities.
Maude
@polarisfashion:
“All of those people” would include almost every leader of every country in the
United Nations.
Don’t believe the bullshit that so many of them are telling us now. They don’t respect you enough to think you have brains enough to research and learn that they all wrote, and made speeches about supporting the war in Iraq, because they all believed the intelligence that was available at the time that claimed Hussein had weapons of mass destruction…..and some of us believe they were moved to Syria.
The fact that the weapons of mass destruction weren’t found, doesn’t mean they never existed.
Clark35
@Maude: Very true.
mujerado
@Paul Wallin: Oh grow up!
mujerado
@Maude: As a Vietnam veteran I call people like you the real traitors. Jane was a young girl who spoke her mind, and who later recanted and apologized. You all hold your grudge like it’s the only worthwhile thing in your lives, pathetic. In this country we have the right to say unpopular things, and it’s one of the things American soldiers are protecting every day, even when we’re in useless, life-wasting travesties like Vietnam and what we’re doing in the Middle East today. Take your “Hanoi Jane” self-righteousness and cram it up your patriotism.
Ron Parsons
I’ve always thought Jane was a lesbian.
Bob LaBlah
@mujerado: I’ll bet you weren’t a POW.
Aaron Brown
Stop reporting on this traitor. Don’t associate it with our community.