Jane Fonda Shares Her Deep Regret After Robert Redford’s Death at 89

After Decades of Friendship and Five Films Together, Fonda Says She Wishes She Had Visited Her Longtime Friend One More Time

Robert Redford’s death at the age of 89 marked the loss of one of Hollywood’s most recognizable and enduring screen figures.

For Jane Fonda, however, the loss was deeply personal. Redford was not simply a former co-star. He was a longtime friend, a trusted screen partner and a man Fonda openly acknowledged developing feelings for whenever they worked together.

After his death at his home in Utah, Fonda reflected on their decades-long relationship and revealed one regret that had been weighing heavily on her.

“It hit me hard this morning when I read that Bob was gone,” Fonda said in a statement released through her representative. “I can’t stop crying.”

“He meant a lot to me and was a beautiful person in every way,” she continued. “He stood for an America we have to keep fighting for.”

A Hollywood Partnership That Lasted for Generations

Redford became one of the defining leading men of his generation, recognized for his blond hair, blue eyes and understated screen presence.

His appeal was evident even before his career reached its greatest heights.

Fonda once remembered seeing Redford walking through the corridor of an administration building and watching secretaries emerge from their offices simply to catch a glimpse of him.

“There was nobody more gorgeous than him,” she later remembered.

Fonda would eventually learn firsthand how difficult it could be to ignore Redford’s charm while working opposite him.

Their professional relationship stretched across more than half a century and five films, beginning when both actors were still establishing themselves in Hollywood.

Their Screen History Began in 1960

Fonda and Redford first appeared together in Tall Story in 1960.

It was the beginning of a professional connection that would repeatedly bring them back together as their careers developed.

Seven years later, their partnership reached a new level with Barefoot in the Park.

The 1967 film featured Fonda as Corie Bratter and Redford as Paul, newlyweds attempting to adjust to married life while living in a small New York apartment.

Their chemistry became one of the defining elements of the movie.

For audiences, it looked like convincing acting between two talented performers.

For Fonda, however, some of those emotions extended beyond the characters they were portraying.

Fonda Admitted She Fell for Redford

Years later, Fonda openly acknowledged what she had felt while making the film.

“I fell madly in love with him on that one,” she wrote while remembering their experience on Barefoot in the Park.

It was not the only time working with Redford had that effect on her.

Fonda later described a pattern that developed whenever the two actors reunited for another project.

“He is so handsome and just such a wonderful human being,” she once said while looking back at a publicity photograph of them. “Every movie I made with him, I developed a crush on him.”

Despite those feelings, their relationship remained a friendship.

Fonda later explained that nothing romantic happened between them during the years they worked together because both were married.

“I was always in love with Robert Redford,” she said.

They Continued Finding Their Way Back to Each Other

The connection audiences saw between Fonda and Redford did not disappear after Barefoot in the Park.

The pair reunited professionally over the years, including for The Electric Horseman in 1979.

Their natural familiarity remained part of their appeal on screen.

Yet one of the most meaningful chapters in their partnership arrived decades later, after both had already established themselves as Hollywood legends.

In 2017, Fonda and Redford reunited for Our Souls at Night.

The film told the story of two widowed neighbors who develop an intimate companionship later in life while confronting loneliness, family expectations and the possibility of finding love again.

Our Souls at Night Brought Their Story Full Circle

For viewers familiar with the actors’ history, Our Souls at Night carried an additional emotional dimension.

Audiences who had watched them portray young newlyweds decades earlier could now see the same performers playing two older people discovering companionship during a much later stage of life.

The young romantic leads from Barefoot in the Park had grown older in front of their audience.

Fonda openly enjoyed the opportunity to portray Redford’s romantic partner again.

“There is eventually a love scene,” she said while promoting the movie. “I’m happy with the love scene. I’m unhappy because it was so short!”

She also joked about how frequently their characters had shared romantic moments over the decades.

“I’ve been in bed with him a lot,” she joked.

Fonda added that she “lived” for romantic scenes with Redford.

His Famous Blue Eyes Could Still Distract Her

Even after decades of friendship, Fonda said one part of working with Redford remained surprisingly difficult.

His eyes could make her forget what she was supposed to be doing.

“The only problem with working with Bob is I kind of look into his eyes and I kind of fall into his eyes and forget my dialogue,” she told Ellen DeGeneres in 2017.

The comment captured the playful affection that frequently appeared whenever Fonda discussed her longtime co-star.

She also reflected on how consistently she had been attracted to him during their earlier collaborations.

“I realize that I’ve grown up because in the three previous movies, I was always in love with him,” Fonda said. “I fell in love with him every time.”

Redford Had His Own Admiration for Fonda

The affection between the longtime co-stars was not entirely one-sided.

While promoting Our Souls at Night, Redford described Fonda as “a force.”

“It is an admirable quality,” he said.

He indicated that very few people possessed that characteristic in quite the way Fonda did.

Their reunion became especially memorable during the 2017 Venice Film Festival, where they appeared together while promoting the film.

For longtime admirers of their work, seeing Fonda and Redford together again represented decades of Hollywood history gathered into a single moment.

Fonda Said She Cried After Learning He Was Gone

Following Redford’s death, those photographs and interviews took on a different meaning for Fonda.

She shared a photograph featuring herself, Redford and actor Iain Armitage during the making of Our Souls at Night.

“I am very sad today,” she wrote. “Cried all morning.”

Her memories included more than sadness.

Fonda remembered Redford’s humor and the practical jokes that had made her laugh during their years of friendship.

She also reflected on how fortunate she felt to have shared such important points in his career.

“I feel so lucky to have made one of his first big movies with him, Barefoot in the Park (I fell madly in love with him on that one) and his last (the aforementioned Souls at Night),” she wrote.

Then Fonda Revealed the Regret She Could Not Change

The most painful portion of Fonda’s tribute was not about a movie they had made or a romantic feeling from decades earlier.

It concerned something she had intended to do during the final months of Redford’s life.

She had wanted to visit him.

Fonda wanted to see her longtime friend and make certain that everything between them was okay.

But she did not make the visit soon enough.

“I was wanting to go see him these last few months to make sure we were all right between us but I didn’t act on it soon enough,” she admitted.

With Redford gone, there would be no opportunity to make that visit.

His Death Left Fonda With a Simple Lesson

Fonda transformed that regret into a direct message about waiting too long to reconnect with people who matter.

“When people are our age, late 80s, don’t wait.”

The statement was striking because of how ordinary the regret was compared with the extraordinary lives both actors had lived.

They had spent decades navigating Hollywood careers, marriages, fame, activism and enormous changes within the entertainment industry.

Their friendship had survived long stretches between projects and the passage of more than half a century.

Yet Fonda’s regret after his death came down to something familiar to countless people.

She wished she had visited her friend one more time.

More Than 50 Years of Shared History

Their relationship spanned dramatically different chapters of their lives.

They met while their careers were still developing.

They became romantic leads together and eventually grew into two of the most recognizable figures in American cinema.

They pursued separate careers but repeatedly found opportunities to reunite.

More than five decades after Barefoot in the Park, they were once again portraying two people discovering affection for one another in Our Souls at Night.

That long history gave Fonda’s public comments about Redford a warmth that extended beyond ordinary promotional remarks between co-stars.

She never attempted to hide the special affection she felt for him.

Redford Became Much More Than a Leading Man

Redford’s career ultimately expanded far beyond the image of the handsome actor whose appearance once caused office workers to emerge into hallways for a glimpse.

His work grew to encompass acting, directing and producing, while his influence also extended into independent filmmaking.

For audiences, that broad career forms an important part of his legacy.

For Fonda, however, the professional achievements and personal memories were closely connected.

She remembered the movie star, but she also remembered the friend who played practical jokes, made her laugh and repeatedly caused her to develop a crush when they worked together.

Her grief reflected both sides of that relationship.

Jane Fonda’s Final Farewell to Her Longtime Friend

Fonda concluded her tribute with a simple goodbye.

“Thank you, dearest Bob, for all the pleasure you brought over the years. RIP.”

Those words carried the history of two people whose lives had intersected repeatedly for more than half a century.

The world knew Robert Redford as a Hollywood star whose career extended across generations.

Fonda knew him as Bob.

She remembered his appearance, his humor, their films together and the feelings she repeatedly admitted having for him.

But after his death, the memory that carried the greatest pain was connected to something that never happened.

She had wanted one more visit.

She waited too long.

That experience left Fonda with a message that extended far beyond Hollywood: when someone important is still here, assuming there will always be another opportunity can become a regret that cannot be undone.

After decades of friendship, laughter, movies and unforgettable screen chemistry, her farewell returned to the affection that had been present throughout their long relationship.

“Thank you, dearest Bob.”