Jane Fonda Clarifies Redford Tribute Quip at TCM Festival

Jane Fonda clarified on Thursday that her recent quip questioning Barbra Streisand's Oscars tribute to the late Robert Redford was intended as humor, while honoring her frequent co-star during the opening night of the TCM Classic Film Festival at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Fonda joined TCM host Ben Mankiewicz for an onstage conversation before a screening of their 1967 romantic comedy Barefoot in the Park, the second of four films they made together. The others included 1966's The Chase, 1979's The Electric Horseman and 2017's Our Souls at Night. Recalling their first meeting on the set of The Chase, Fonda said both were married at the time. "I asked him, 'Do you ever have affairs?'" she recounted. "He said, 'Well, if I was gonna have an affair, it would be with somebody that was like a hooker.'"

The 88-year-old actress described Redford, who died on September 16 at age 89, as "the most gorgeous human being I had ever been with," adding that he was smart, funny, loved practical jokes and was reckless. She admitted to having a longstanding crush on him that proved unrequited, joking about scenes where she tried to get close during filming. "I had such a crush on him....