Hollywood legend Jane Fonda has gone from playing a voluptuous intergalactic agent in Barbarella and winning an Oscar for her role in Klute, to sporting a leotard as a fitness guru, being a breast cancer survivor and an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War, which she later admitted was an “unforgivable mistake.”

Say what you will about this daughter of another Hollywood legend, but there’s no denying that Jane Fonda has a remarkable ability to learn and grow with age.  And at age 77 Fonda is still challenging herself with new roles, and talking openly about aging.

Asked if she would go back to her forties, Fonda said, “I wouldn’t go back 10 years. I was so old at 20. I was ancient at 30. I’m so much younger now. That’s really kind of the theme of Youth,” she said. “When people say, ‘when were you your happiest?’ I have to say now.”  – Interviewed by Natalie Stone in The Hollywood Reporter, 11/19/2015

For an inspiring look at this woman whose diehard spirit is a prime example of aging well and wisely, check out these entertaining stories and clips:

• The One and Only Jane Fonda – by Mickey Rapkin in DuJour.
  • “In this no-holds-barred interview, the actress reveals what she’s learned from acting, being married, doing drugs and stumping for politicians.”
• Jane Fonda: Men Want Young Women.  For Us, It’s About Trying to Stay Young – by Jane Mulkerrins in The Telegraph UK.
  • “Once you are past 50, it’s like: why the hell not be the person who I really am? What do I have to lose? You can do all the things that you are not supposed to do as a woman, like tell the truth and get angry.”
• Jane Fonda Talks Reinventing Herself After Age 60 – by Julia Birkinbine in Closer.
  • “When Jane Fonda left her third husband, Ted Turner, he told her he was surprised by the breakup because people over age 60 aren’t supposed to change — a notion Jane has never understood.”

    From The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: