Jane Fonda (Re-Release)

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Where Everybody Knows Your Name with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson (sometimes)"

Episode: Jane Fonda (Re-Release)
Release Date: April 30, 2025

---

Introduction

In this special archival episode of "Where Everybody Knows Your Name," hosts Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson reconnect with the legendary actress and activist Jane Fonda. The conversation delves deep into their shared history, personal journeys, and profound insights on activism, resilience, and the environment.

---

Reconnecting with Jane Fonda

Ted Danson opens the episode by expressing the significance of having Jane Fonda as a "bucket list guest." Both Ted and Woody highlight Fonda's multifaceted career and her pivotal role as a catalyst in their own activism journeys.

Ted Danson [01:08]: "But Jane Fonda was absolutely a bucket list guest for Woody and for me."

Jane Fonda shares her initial apprehensions about the interview, likening it to a performance despite its conversational nature.

Jane Fonda [01:44]: "We do this kind of thing all the time where we go and we do interviews. Right. And it's really, you know, like I was telling my daughter earlier... it's just a conversation."

---

Journey to Intentional Living

Woody Harrelson discusses a pivotal moment in his life when he chose to live intentionally after years of feeling directionless.

Woody Harrelson [03:26]: "So you go out. Okay. And that's why I decided to live intentionally. You can't know where you're going unless you know where you've been."

He reflects on his transition from a passive existence to one driven by purpose, inspired partly by his relationship with Ted Turner and the impending end of his marriage.

---

Activism and Environmental Advocacy

The trio delves into the pressing issue of the climate crisis. Woody Harrelson emphasizes the existential threat posed by climate change and the necessity of proactive engagement.

Woody Harrelson [08:47]: "There's a difference between optimism and hope. Optimism is, everything is going to be fine... Hope is like a muscle. Hope is worth fighting for."

Jane Fonda adds to the discussion by highlighting the importance of targeting corporations alongside governmental bodies to effect meaningful change.

Jane Fonda [10:38]: "But they still... if you protest a war that we're involved in, which we seem to be continuously involved in, they really do come down on you."

---

Personal Experiences and Anecdotes

Woody Harrelson shares poignant stories from his activism, including his time participating in Fire Drill Fridays—a form of civil disobedience aimed at combating climate change. He recounts his arrests and the stark differences in treatment compared to non-celebrities.

Woody Harrelson [20:08]: "And even though we're treated okay once we're there... it's still... it matters."

Jane Fonda reflects on the power of visual media in activism, referencing Woody's impactful trip to North Vietnam and its consequences.

Jane Fonda [34:37]: "Well, you had to come up with this. But what you did was really important."

---

Reflections on Resilience and Mental Health

The conversation takes a personal turn as Woody Harrelson discusses his family history, battles with mental health, and the importance of resilience.

Woody Harrelson [63:14]: "It's not. It's not. It's not. No, it's not. But it's all about resilience."

Jane Fonda empathizes, sharing her admiration for Woody's strength and resilience in the face of adversity.

Jane Fonda [65:00]: "I know you have like this softness, but you have like you're made of steel."

---

Legacy, Inspirations, and Personal Insights

The hosts and guest explore the legacies they've built through their activism and careers. Woody Harrelson reminisces about his youthful encounters with icons like Greta Garbo and Michael Jackson, illustrating the blend of personal and professional lives they've led.

Woody Harrelson [51:02]: "And she appeared and she said, would you like to go swimming?... She dove right in without a second thought and swam really fast."

Jane Fonda and Woody Harrelson express mutual admiration and respect, underscoring the deep bonds formed through shared experiences and values.

Jane Fonda [65:00]: "I know you have like this softness, but you have like you're made of steel."

---

Concluding Thoughts

As the episode wraps up, both hosts and Jane Fonda reflect on the importance of staying active, engaged, and resilient. They emphasize the ongoing battle against climate change and the need for collective action to secure a sustainable future.

Woody Harrelson [61:19]: "I come from a long line of depressives. I don't know about you guys, but I have to work hard to not go down a rabbit hole. That's why activism is important and it's why working out is important."

Jane Fonda closes with heartfelt appreciation for the guests and calls listeners to action, inspiring them to contribute to meaningful change.

---

Notable Quotes

• Woody Harrelson [08:47]: "Hope is like a muscle. Hope is worth fighting for."
• Jane Fonda [10:38]: "If you protest a war that we're involved in... they really do come down on you."
• Woody Harrelson [63:14]: "It's all about resilience."
• Jane Fonda [65:00]: "You're made of steel."

---

Conclusion

This re-released episode serves as a compelling testament to the enduring friendships and shared commitments of Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson, and Jane Fonda. Their candid discussions offer listeners profound insights into activism, personal growth, and the relentless pursuit of a better world. Whether you're a long-time follower or a new listener, this episode promises inspiration and heartfelt moments that resonate deeply.

---

Transcript

[Ted Danson]

Where everybody knows your name with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson sometimes is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever find yourself playing the budgeting game? Well, with the name your price tool from Progressive, you can find options that fit your budget and potentially lower your bills. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and and affiliates price and coverage match, limited by state law. Not available in all states.

[Woody Harrelson]

Since I was asked to do this, every time I tell people I'm going to do a podcast with Ted and Woody, oh, my God. Everybody gets real excited.

[Jane Fonda]

Really?

[Unknown]

Welcome back to where everybody knows your name. This week we're going to go into the archive and we're going to be revisiting another favorite episode. We'll be back in a few weeks with all new conversations, and I assure you it'll be worth the wait.

[Ted Danson]

But Jane Fonda was absolutely a bucket list guest for Woody and for me.

[Unknown]

I mean, talk about a legend.

[Ted Danson]

From a movie career to encounters with.

[Unknown]

Bing Crosby to her environmental leadership, she.

[Ted Danson]

She is a mischief maker in the best way. And as you'll hear, she's inspired me to keep my foot on the gas.

[Unknown]

Truly one of my heroes in life.

[Ted Danson]

I hope this conversation encourages you to.

[Unknown]

Rise to the moment as well, especially now. Without further ado, here's Jane Fudd.

[Jane Fonda]

We do this kind of thing all the time where we go and we do interviews. Right. And it's really, you know, like I was telling my daughter earlier, you know, I'm interviewing Jane Fonda. I'm nervous about it. I'm daunted. And she says, well, at the end of the day, it's just a conversation. And, you know, you can do that.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah.

[Jane Fonda]

And that was. And so it's like, it's a conversation, but let's face it, it also is a performance. You know, so there's a. There's a kind of inherent, you know.

[Woody Harrelson]

Well, there's a frisson. There's a little tension because while we're talking, we're conscious of the fact that we're being recorded.

[Jane Fonda]

Right.

[Unknown]

I think it's awesome.

[Woody Harrelson]

I think it's fun growing up at a time that was pre social media.

[Unknown]

Yes. And I'm still. I mean, I know you do, probably because of all the things you're trying to accomplish in life, but I. I'm off. I'm not.

[Woody Harrelson]

And you're not trying to accomplish anything.

[Unknown]

Nope. Just want to have a nice little tune in my head quietly. But what the good part is about podcasts is we won't sit down in a Party and have this uninterrupted hour of intentional. Intentional?

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, Hour.

[Unknown]

Can I just start right there with intentional? You are such an inspiration to me because your life is so purposeful. It is so intentional. And I think that is. I think that's what we should all be striving to live. Yeah, and you really, really do that.

[Woody Harrelson]

But see, I didn't always. And that's why I know how important it is, because most of my life hasn't been intentional at all. It was all just big mistakes, and I'm lucky.

[Unknown]

Name a mistake. Are you talking relationship or activism or.

[Woody Harrelson]

Places I've travel to, People I've married? No, not really. People I've had affairs with? No, it's like one version is you're going down a river in a canoe and you don't have an oar, and so you're taken wherever the current takes you. And that was my life up until about 60.

[Unknown]

Right.

[Woody Harrelson]

And then I decided, okay, 60, I've got maybe 20, 30 more years I'd better start figuring out. And then I got an or. And then I became intentional. And in becoming intentional, I realized how important that was, especially when you're older.

[Unknown]

Yeah. And was it an age thing, or was it also an event?

[Woody Harrelson]

Age, age, age.

[Unknown]

And you're with Ted Turner, then age.

[Woody Harrelson]

And also I was sort of realizing that the marriage maybe wasn't gonna last, and I had to figure out what I was gonna do. I'd been out of the business for 10 years, and I was 60.

[Unknown]

Right.

[Woody Harrelson]

So it was, you know, it was partly that, but partly, like. I mean, the three of us are actors, so we know how important third acts are. You know, you can have completely screwed up the first two meaningless, as I did, and then the third act can make sense of it all. So you go out. Okay. And that's why I decided to live intentionally. You can't know where you're going unless you know where you've been. So you have to really figure it out.

[Unknown]

I think it's interesting that. And if I'm interrupting you, Woody. Sorry. I think it's interesting that you said you were in a river without a paddle. Not intentional. And the body of work you did as an actor, you don't include as the intentional part of your life because, you know, you were the biggest movie star many years on the planet. You know, I fell in love with you watching Cat Ballou. I did.

[Woody Harrelson]

You're not that old.

[Unknown]

I am that old.

[Jane Fonda]

Really.

[Unknown]

I'm just five years behind you.

[Woody Harrelson]

The best thing about that movie Was that Nat King Cole told me that I had a good ass. He rode behind me on the horseback, and he said, oh. Anyway, that made me very happy.

[Jane Fonda]

So that's really the film that kind of launched you. Right. I mean, you did stuff before that, but it felt like Cat Ballou was a huge success.

[Woody Harrelson]

It wasn't a huge success.

[Jane Fonda]

I thought it was.

[Woody Harrelson]

I've rarely done anything that's a huge success. No, it didn't. I don't know. I don't know what launched me. I feel I haven't launched yet.

[Jane Fonda]

I love that.

[Unknown]

See that.

[Woody Harrelson]

Late to launch.

[Unknown]

That's why you're my inspiration. I met Jane when I was turning 70. She and Mary were making a film together.

[Woody Harrelson]

And 70 was me before then.

[Unknown]

Yes, but. But in lines here or there or doing environmental stuff.

[Woody Harrelson]

Right, right, right.

[Unknown]

But, yes, I had met you, but I had. Didn't get to hang out with you.

[Woody Harrelson]

We didn't hang.

[Unknown]

No. And I did. When Mary and you started working together at 70 was when I thought, maybe I should look for a landing pad here and slow down and take my foot off the gas. I'm 70 and I met you, and I noticed your foot was slammed to the floor, on the gas, to the metal. Yeah. You were 80, just turning 80, and I had just turned 70. And you were such an inspiration. Like, what are you doing, Ted? Why are you. Why are you planning for end of life? Keep going as fast as you can.

[Woody Harrelson]

I said that. I didn't say that.

[Unknown]

No, you lived it. You didn't say any of that, but you lived it. And it was such an inspiration. One of the many reasons why I love you.

[Woody Harrelson]

Oh, thank you. Well, thank you. Look, we're facing an existential crisis, the climate crisis. I mean, there's a lot of issues that we're facing. Horrible things are going on, but that's the one. They call it existential. Cause if we don't deal with it, we're going to. The. Our existence will be thrown into question. And, you know, I don't have much longer on the Earth, and I just don't want to be somebody who was arranging china while the earth burned. And. Ted, you have been trying to save the oceans for how long?

[Unknown]

35 years ago I started.

[Jane Fonda]

And you've had a lot of successes.

[Woody Harrelson]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Unknown]

No, yes. Yeah. I mean, yes. Yes. Oceana has done amazing things, but everything. The ocean. We can talk about that. But everything that we've done to make fisheries abundant and manage fisheries in a correct way. Because if you do, you can feed a billion people a day, sustainably, forever. But everything we're doing can be undone by climate change and perhaps will. Yes, it's an existential threat. I mean, it's no longer around the corner. It's just genuinely here. You have grandchildren, you have children. How do you keep the hope and the joy going at the same time? You tackle something that feels very end of the worldish.

[Woody Harrelson]

There's a difference between optimism and hope. Optimism is, everything is going to be fine. Don't worry about it. But you don't do anything to make that. So hope is like a muscle. Hope is. It's worth fighting for. And so I'm gonna fight for it. And I think it's gonna be okay because I'm fighting for it. You know, I can sink into the worst depression. But if I take action, and I know that I'm doing everything I can do about something, then I feel hope. Greta Thunberg, she said, don't go looking for hope. Look for action, and hope will come. And I know that's true from my own personal experience. That's why it's very selfish. I take action so I can stay hopeful. Mudro it's worth fighting for. I mean, we are this generation, the 2020s. This is the last generation that can determine whether there's a livable future. I mean, it's an awesome responsibility, and we have to step up to it.

[Unknown]

Sometimes it feels not hopeless, but like, oh, my God, how are we going to change Congress? But it feels like, do you go after corporations, too? Because it feels like sometimes corporations can move faster than Congress and sometimes are in the center of things. That would make a big difference. I mean, we've gone after Amazon, so packaging and plastic. You know, we've. You can work with corporations to prove to them that they're doing the wrong thing, but also people will appreciate it and they'll make more money. Sometimes I think going after corporations can move things faster than Congress.

[Woody Harrelson]

And sometimes the children of CEOs are the ones that end up getting their fathers or mothers to make big changes. Yeah, well, we focus. We're not. Other organizations do that, like Greenpeace does, focuses on corporations.

[Jane Fonda]

What's your organization called?

[Woody Harrelson]

Well, there's two parts. One is Fire Drill Fridays, which has become part of Greenpeace.

[Jane Fonda]

Oh, right, right.

[Woody Harrelson]

And our goal with Fire Drill Fridays is, you know, there's like 30% of Americans have said that they would engage in civil disobedience if asked by someone they trust, but nobody's asked them. So Fire Drill Friday's aim is we're gonna the great unasked. We're gonna ask them to move from concern to action. That's outside the walls of government. And then Jane found a climate pact inside. If you can't change the people, change the people. Get rid of the oil sycophants and elect climate champions up and down the ballot. And that's what we've been doing.

[Jane Fonda]

Wow.

[Woody Harrelson]

And you go out on the road and you meet these mostly women, mostly women of color in all around the country. They're so brave and so smart and so strategic. It'll fill you with hope for the rest of your life.

[Jane Fonda]

Well, maybe I could come do one of those with you. Okay, I, I, I do want to end up in the hu with you on the podcast.

[Unknown]

I can't recommend it highly enough. My career took off once I went to jail with Chang.

[Ted Danson]

Did you know Incognito mode is not enough to hide your browsing history? All your online activity is still 100% visible to a ton of third parties unless you use Express VPN. ExpressVPN reroutes 100% of your traffic through secure encrypted servers, making it extremely difficult for third parties to track your online activity. And it works on all devices, phones, laptops, tablets, and more. My producer Nick just showed me how ExpressVPN allows me to stay private when browsing the Internet. That makes it easier to search for sensitive keywords, for example, sexy Ted Danson or Woody Harrelson's greatest flops. I mean, hypothetically. I mean, I've never done that. Protect your online privacy today by visiting expressvpn.com Ted and Woody that's E X P R e s s vpn.com Ted and Woody and you can get an extra four months free. Expressvpn.com Ted and Woody as a small business owner, you don't have the luxury of clocking out early. Your business is on your mind 24 7. So when you're hiring, you need a partner that grinds just as hard as you do. That hiring partner is LinkedIn jobs. When you clock out, LinkedIn clocks in. They make it easy to post your job for free, to share it with your network and get qualified candidates that you can manage all in one place. And LinkedIn's new feature can help you write job descriptions and then quickly get your job in front of the right people with deep candidate insights. At the end of the day, the most important thing to your small business is the quality of the candidates. Find out why more than 2.5 million small businesses use LinkedIn for hiring today. Post a job for [e-mail] Ted and Woody that's LinkedIn to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. Spring is here and vacation season is nearly upon us this year. Treat yourself to the luxe upgrades you deserve with Quince's high quality travel essentials at fair prices. All Quince Items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands because they partner directly with top factories, cutting out the cost of the middleman. Sorry, gentleman, I can't wait to try Quince's luggage. I got my eye on that front pocket carry on hard shell suitcase. The front pocket offers easy access for things like my tablet and scripts. If any producers are listening to this, I have more room for scripts for your next trip. Treat yourself to the luxe upgrades you deserve from Quince. Go to Quince.com Ted and Woody for 365 day returns plus free shipping on your order. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com TedinWoody to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com Ted and Woody.

[Unknown]

You know, you did make a difference to me in my activism by going to fire drill Friday. You asked, I came.

[Woody Harrelson]

You sure do.

[Jane Fonda]

But can you talk about the experience? Because I don't know, like, where were.

[Unknown]

You and when were you in Washington? I think we were going to walk up the steps of the Capitol and the police showed up and went, actually, there's a security threat. So if you do walk up those steps, it won't be the nice protester arrest. You'll be going and spending the night or some time in jail. So you can go over to that intersection over there and block that. It's against the law. And we'll arrest you. But it won't be the hardcore arrest. And we made. You know, let me start back. I arrived in Washington and the night.

[Woody Harrelson]

Before we had a teach in.

[Unknown]

You had a teach in. You know, I remember having an interview with the head of. No. Who was that? Anyway?

[Woody Harrelson]

Forgive me. It was John Hosiver, who's the ocean's person at Greenpeace.

[Unknown]

Yes, Greenpeace. Sorry. And there was a teach in and there were things online and so you really understood why climate change affected. You would take different topics each week, why it might affect women, why it might affect what are. And so it was a learning experience. Then the next day you show up and I'm a little nervous, but there's there. I'm sitting in a room of Everybody being told what to expect with this experience of being arrested. And there were nuns and there were, you know, there were people in their 80s. There were people. It was astounding. And some of them had been here before. And then off we go. And then it's kind of a typical rally where people get up and make speeches, and then you go, here we go. And you start marching to the place where you're going to get arrested. And lo and behold, you know, they stop you. And then, to be honest, it's really not always you've been arrested. Arrested. This was kind of the champagne of arrests. For example, the officer came up and they'd have to ask you, you have to leave. And this is the last time you'll be asked, are you going to leave? And you'd go, no. And they said, okay. And I said, but excuse me, my shoulders are really problematic. Can you cuff me in the front? Yes, Mr. Danson, we can. So it was like when I say I was arrested, meh, not really. But then they put you in a, you know, in the back warehouse.

[Woody Harrelson]

Oh, yeah. In the back of a van.

[Unknown]

Yeah, back of a van. And you're cuffed and you can't move around and you're sitting with a bunch of people you don't know. And there's just a moment where you go, oh, I have no freedom. I have no freedom of movement. I can't say, never mind. Can I leave perhaps? You know my work, I used to be on Cheers. Nothing. Nothing worked. And you go, oh, just a little taste. Enough so that it made me think, if I'm doing this, if I come here to do this and this, even though it's a minor, luxurious arrest, it made me stop and think, wait a minute. Because I have been in my head going, I've given at the office. I have. You know, I've been doing Ocean advocacy for 35, 40 years and doing great work so someone else can do climate change. And it was like, oh, it's like I've been hiding behind my environmental work to not go out and do more. And you taught me that. I remember coming out after we were set free from our prison term, coming out on the street and hugging you and crying because I was so grateful for that experience you gave me.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yes, I put that in the book.

[Unknown]

Yeah, really amazing.

[Woody Harrelson]

We're white and we're famous and we will never really know what it's like to be black in this country or brown.

[Unknown]

And most people in this world, especially people of color, get arrested in a way different way.

[Woody Harrelson]

And yet, even so, there's something very liberating about engaging in civil disobedience. It's like putting your whole body on the line where your deepest values are, and you don't get many chances in life to do that.

[Unknown]

Yes.

[Woody Harrelson]

And even though we're treated okay once we're there, because they don't want to make us stink because we're white and famous, it's still, like you said, it matters. And I figured, because I turned 82 the fifth time I was arrested, they put me in jail.

[Unknown]

Because you can only get arrested so many times before they go. You're not learning.

[Woody Harrelson]

Right. And they put you in jail.

[Unknown]

Tell us about. I see. I never asked you what was that night like?

[Woody Harrelson]

Well, again, I'm white and famous. And so they. Actually, there was a woman that was stationed outside, a guard outside my cell. And I thought, well, that's interesting. I'm in jail. I mean, I've got a jail. I'm locked in. Why is there a guard out there?

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Woody Harrelson]

But I noticed also there were a lot of posters all over the walls about sexual abuse, if you have been in jail, attacked or anything like that. And in the course of the evening, another guard who was. Anyway, I don't even want to go into it. It was very clear why I was being guarded.

[Unknown]

Man.

[Woody Harrelson]

And the cockroaches and, you know, everything is metal. There's a metal, flat metal thing that you sleep on, and you use anything. You have a sweater, a coat, anything to soften it a little bit. And meantime, down the hall, nothing but screams. Psychotic breaks are happening, and guys are screaming and screaming and banging the doors. And you realize they should be in another kind of place, like mental health place. They shouldn't be in jail. I was the only white person there. And. And then in the morning, I ended up being put someplace else with a lot of other prisoners, black women. And it was, you know, it was really interesting. They could have cared less who I was. They had far more important things to think about.

[Unknown]

Right.

[Woody Harrelson]

And none of them had seen any of my movies. Oh, they. Jennifer Lopez. Yeah. They had seen Monster in Law. I pulled that card. And they were mildly impressed, but not really. They went right back and talking about what they were dealing with, which was survival issues.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Woody Harrelson]

It was an eye opener, I tell you. It was not the first time I'd been in jail. I'd been in jail before in 1970 in Cleveland, where I was accused by Nixon of smuggling drugs. And I was put in a cell by somebody kicking heroin. That Was not good. And I got roughed up a little. Wow. But, you know, we get off easy.

[Unknown]

Yep.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah.

[Jane Fonda]

So what was just Nixon was after you because you.

[Woody Harrelson]

Well, I was on a speaking tour to raise money for what became the Winter Soldier investigation. And my first speaking was in. It was in Canada. Windsor, Canada. Right across from Detroit. Anyway, I went from there to Cleveland. I flew across the border and so the border cops stopped me and I had a lot of. I took vitamins, a lot of vitamins. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. And little plastic envelopes with BLD written on them and nail polish. And they said I was smuggling drugs. The arresting officer told me he was taking orders from the White House. And it was interesting.

[Jane Fonda]

So they were ready for you?

[Woody Harrelson]

They were ready for me. They were going to get me one way or the other.

[Unknown]

And is this because of being in Vietnam?

[Woody Harrelson]

I hadn't been there yet.

[Unknown]

Oh, wow.

[Woody Harrelson]

No.

[Unknown]

So why were you on their radar? Just because you were speaking out about the war?

[Woody Harrelson]

Well, I'd been arrested a bunch on military bases and protesting the war.

[Unknown]

Right.

[Woody Harrelson]

With soldiers. Together with soldiers and other things like that. But anyway, yeah.

[Jane Fonda]

The way it says vvaw.

[Woody Harrelson]

And I was a civilian member of Vietnam Veterans against the War. War.

[Jane Fonda]

I gotta say, I'm so proud of you and you're so on the right side of history for, you know, protesting that war. And they, they always try to conflate it that it's about the. Well, you, you've been disrespectful to the, to the soldiers.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah.

[Jane Fonda]

And yet.

[Woody Harrelson]

But I helped them.

[Jane Fonda]

The war itself, that's disrespectful to the soldiers. It's, it's the policy that drives, you know, and I don't know if you saw that Ken Burns documentary or not.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, I didn't like it at all.

[Jane Fonda]

Anyway, I've always been quite conscious of the fact that most people don't know that 2 million people died in Vietnam. More than that, if you include Laos in Cambodia and where we started carpet bombing in Laos, which everything in a two mile radius presumed dead. And all of it, supposedly our form of government is so good that we can bomb the shit out of another country, kill millions of people, because you shouldn't have. Communism, that's a terrible form of government. And that's the rationale that allowed the American people to feel okay about the war anyway.

[Unknown]

Bonded people who had just like 10.

[Woody Harrelson]

Years before, they were peasants.

[Unknown]

Peasants. But also Ho Chi Minh had come up with a declaration of independence for after World War II that was like Jeffersonian it was, we hold these principles.

[Woody Harrelson]

To be self evident. He was a cook in Harlem. That's where he learned about our Constitution and our Bill of Rights and he used that in the Vietnamese Bill of Independence. He begged Truman to understand why they were fighting to unify their country. Yeah, no, it was awful. If we were bombing, carpet, whatever, if our soldiers were there, that has to be right. I really believe that. I thought, well, we're always on the side of the angels. And it was American soldiers who opened my eyes, who had been in Vietnam that made me realize it. And if you're a real believer and you're shown to have been fooled, lied to the other side, you become a warrior, you know.

[Jane Fonda]

Can you walk me through how you ended up. I mean, you became involved in this organization, but then how you ended up over in Vietnam?

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, I met the soldiers. I lived in Paris. I was married to a Frenchman and I lived there. And the French had already fought in Vietnam and they knew very well that we weren't gonna win and what was going on. But I didn't really believe them. I thought it was sour grapes. When Simone, Senior, Ray and others would tell me, this is really bad what's going on. I thought, yeah, just cause you guys didn't win. But when American soldiers told me what was happening and gave me a book by Jonathan Schell called the Village of Ben Sook and I literally, small book, I read it, I was a different person. It was like, holy shit. And I ended up leaving, coming here, becoming involved as a civilian in the GI movement because there was a whole movement of active duty soldiers that were opposed to the war. And according to the Nixon tapes, it was the thing that worried Nixon the most of everything was the soldiers who were opposed to the war. And. But for me, it was the people that I. The women that I met when I started becoming involved in activism against the war here. They were different people than any people I had ever met. And being with them was like looking through a keyhole in the world we were fighting for. That's what changed me the most. And then I met Tom Hayden. And it was at the time of the Pentagon Papers. Ellsberg was on trial and the Pentagon Papers had been released and Tom had written a digest of the Pentagon Papers, which was really important to see how many Democratic and Republican administrations had lied about the war and kept the troops there because they didn't. Johnson was afraid he'd look, this is a quote, look like an unmanly man if he withdrew from Vietnam. He was worried that Kennedy would accuse him of being an unmanly man. You know, there's patriarchy at work. And I started to date Tom, who was extremely knowledgeable in all things movement and anti war. He was receiving messages from French and Swedish diplomats that we were bombing the dikes in North Vietnam. The whole North Vietnamese Red river delta is like Holland. It's below sea level and the sea is kept out with earthen dikes built by hand because they're peasants. They don't have heavy equipment, they don't have tractors and things. And if those dikes are destroyed and the monsoon season was coming, then they would be flooded. And this had been proposed previously under Johnson, I think. And he had said, no, we can't do that. Hitler did that during the Second World War in Holland. We can't ever be accused of destroying the dikes. But Nixon was doing it. And they said, you have to do something. And I thought to myself, about 300Americans, including Ramsey Clark, our Secretary of state, all kinds of journalists, all kinds of American soldiers had already been to Hanoi. It was no big deal.

[Unknown]

To Hanoi you said, yeah, yeah, to.

[Woody Harrelson]

North Vietnam, 300 or more. And I thought, yeah, but none of them have made Barbarella. None of them are movie stars. And maybe if I went specifically about bombing the dikes and exposing that, maybe that will make a difference. And the really fucked up thing is that I went by myself. And on the way in the airport, I broke my foot. And so, you know, I arrived in Hanoi on crutches. I had a cast put on my foot in Hanoi. I mean, in Moscow. And I arrived in Vietnam with a cast on crutches while the bombs were dropping. It was really something else. And that's how I got to Vietnam.

[Jane Fonda]

So you get there and you landed in Hanoi and then you're met by like a delegation of North Vietnamese.

[Woody Harrelson]

It's called the American Vietnam Peace Committee. They were my hosts. They saw me coming off the plane on crutches. They were clearly upset because bombs were dropping and I ended up visiting the dikes on crutches. I might say that two months after my trip, the bombing stopped of the dikes. I went again the following year with Tom and my 9 month old son. The North Vietnamese toilet trained my son.

[Jane Fonda]

Really?

[Unknown]

That's a great. That's a book.

[Woody Harrelson]

There are too many people that can say that. No, but let me just. I'll tell you two, just two brief stories and then I'll tell you how I ended up on the gun. And kind of. They partly explained the gun. Okay, so it was 1972. We were bombing the north still. And I was taken all through the north to see cities that had been razed and towns that had been raised. And we were driving back, and they could hear that there were bombers coming, and they signaled. The drivers pulled over to the side, and the translator told me to get out and get all along the sides of the roads all over North Vietnam where these potholes meant for one person to get in. They had lids made of straw that were about a half a foot thick to keep shrapnel away. And you go and jump in and pull the lid on. And that's what they do when there's a bombing raid. And so I started to run to one of these things, and somebody grabbed my arm. It was a young Vietnamese student because she had a rubber strap over her shoulder wrapped around books. And she grabbed me and she pulled me in front of a house, which I assume was her house, I don't know, and got into one of these holes with me. The holes are meant for one person. So there was me and this young Vietnamese girl smashed up against. Her face was smashed up against mine. I could feel her breath on my cheek. And I thought, this is. This can't be. This is. I mean, like, this is a dream, what is happening? And then the ground started shaking from the bombing. And I can feel her there and the shaking. And then it stops for a while. And they. They're yelling that we can come up. Now. She moves the lid off and we get out, and I start to cry. And I go to her and I keep saying, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. And she calls the translator over, and she says to me something like, don't be sorry. We know why we're fighting. Those men don't know why they're bombing us. It's your tragedy. Or something like that. I was like, what? And it couldn't have been planned. It couldn't have been planned. They wouldn't have known that right there, there was going to be a bomb. You know what I mean? And this young girl says, it's our tragedy because we don't even know why we're there fighting. I mean, it was just. It was. It was surreal. And then the second to the last day. I was there for two weeks, and the second to the last day, I'm asked to go out back from the hotel where I'm staying, where a stage has been erected and a troupe of Vietnamese actors are going to perform Arthur Miller's play. All My Sons.

[Unknown]

Oh, my God.

[Woody Harrelson]

And so I was seated next to the director and my translator. It's all in Vietnamese. And for people listening who might not know anything about the play, All My Sons, it takes place during the Second World War. The lead man, the father, is. He owns a factory that makes parts for American bombers. And he knows that the factory is making faulty parts. And he doesn't say anything because he doesn't want to lose his government contract. But one of his sons knows that he's lying and accuse him of being greedy. And his other son is a pilot in a bomber and ends up crashing and dying, possibly because there were faulty parts in his plane. At any rate, it's about good and evil in America. And after the play is over, I said, I asked the director, okay, you're under bombs, you're at war. Why are you performing an English play, an American play? All My Sons, he said, this is a troupe of. Through the translator, this is a troupe of actors who travel from village to village after a bombing has taken place and performed this play. The play shows that there are bad Americans and there are good Americans. One day this war will end, and our countries have to be friends. We don't want our people to hate you. It was just jaw dropping, that kind of sophistication and long view. It explained why, unlike other countries that the United States has bombed. When you go there and they say, you know, Yankees bad, go here. It was Johnson, that bomb. Johnson, that's Nixon bomb. You know, they singled out the people responsible for what was happening to their country, but they never wanted their people to hate Americans. And so many friends of mine who have gone to Vietnam since the war are astounded at how friendly they are. And I know in my heart partly why that's true. It was a deliberate thing on the strategy on the part of the Communist government, for them not to hate us in spite of the millions of them that we killed. I mean, unbelievable. And so the next day, I had. When they first invited me, I said, I don't want to go to any military sites. That was Tom, my second husband, who had a lot more. He'd been over there. He brought POWs back subsequent to my going. And he said, don't visit military sites. But the next morning. And by now, I'm like a wet noodle. I mean, I'm just. I'm going home to a country that considers these people the enemy. And while some of them are clearly not good people, the enemy. So they. They asked me to come out to a gun site. At the center of Hanoi. And I did. And I got there and there were a lot of people and there a whole bunch of young soldiers sang a song to me. And the song started with the Declaration of Independence, ours and theirs, of Ho Chi Minh. It talked about, we want the skies over the square of Hanoi to be free of bombers. I don't know. It talked about Ho Chi Minh. Then they asked me to sing a song, and I'm ashamed of this. I sang Old MacDonald. I didn't know what to. I was kind of. I was out of my mind.

[Jane Fonda]

Well, you had to come up with this.

[Woody Harrelson]

And they led me over to the gun and I was laughing and I sat down. I didn't think, yeah, yeah, yeah. And as I was walking away, I thought, oh, my God. Oh. When I sat down, there was suddenly all these flashes. Light bulbs were going, all these photographers. And as I walked away, I thought, oh, my God, I was set up. But, I mean, I was an adult. It was my responsibility. It was awful. I didn't, you know, it wasn't like there were no planes and the gun wasn't active or anything, but it was a terrible mistake. Terrible. That trip changed my life for the good.

[Jane Fonda]

Yeah. I mean, the power of that visual image is what caused all the blowback. But.

[Woody Harrelson]

But, you know, something interesting.

[Jane Fonda]

What you did was really important, you know.

[Woody Harrelson]

Well, it was in the sense that I think the bombing of the dikes stopped. But, you know, something interesting that the first. In the beginning, there was like an inch of news in the New York Times. There was. It was no big. We started a national tour right after that that opened in the Iowa State Fair, where I gave a slideshow about women in Vietnam. No problem. That all happened with. Well, really with Reagan. It was. They created a real. You don't want to be like Jane Fonda. Look what happened to her. They wanted to.

[Jane Fonda]

Oh, when Reagan was governor.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah. When he became president.

[Jane Fonda]

Oh, when he became president.

[Woody Harrelson]

Oh, it was really then that Hanoi Jane and.

[Jane Fonda]

But that's not till 1980.

[Woody Harrelson]

Right. It wasn't much of a deal. Big deal in the 70s in terms of it. You know, the big thing that it became later, he raised it to an art form.

[Jane Fonda]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Well, they could take you out as an environmentalist, as an anti war activist that, you know, all those things.

[Woody Harrelson]

Well, we're going to. We're going to cause her such damage that in the future, anybody that protests any American war will see what's going to happen.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Woody Harrelson]

And. Yeah, and exactly what did happen? Let's see. Nixon resigned and went to jail and I'm here.

[Jane Fonda]

But they still, I mean, to this day, if you protest a war that we're involved in, which we seem to be continuously involved in, they really do come down on you and the. And the mainstream media, you know. You know, like you think the New York Times, you know, they're doing good. You know, they all get right on board and they sing the same song.

[Woody Harrelson]

And it happened and we have to do it anyway.

[Jane Fonda]

It happened to me when I was protesting Bush War one, I think it was. And you know, they called us all, we loved Saddam and you know, all the ridiculous shit. But I just admire you for doing that. And you always do. You go 100% and you step up and you, you know, your activism is just inspirational.

[Woody Harrelson]

Well, you'll understand this. It was. They thought just cause I was a movie actor and Henry Fonda's daughter and privileged that I was soft, they're gonna get me. And the more they tried, the more I was like, fuck you. You're not gonna make me stop, you know, but you know what I mean? I'm sure that's happened to you. I once went to an eight day silent Buddhist meditation retreat, a formal Buddhist meditation retreat. And they told me afterwards, nobody expected me to last. And I knew that I was not gonna. No matter what, I was gonna stay and do my.

[Jane Fonda]

I know you have like this softness, but you have like you're made of steel. Like you have both qualities. A vulnerable kind of soft side to you. And then you have that, just that iron will.

[Woody Harrelson]

Oh, well. Thank you.

[Ted Danson]

Users of leading meal kits have rated Home Chef number one in quality, convenience, value, taste and recipe ease. Now, as many of you know, my friend and producer Nick is a huge fan of Home Chef. What have you tried so far?

[Nick Leo]

One of is the pesto bruschetta chicken with parmesan green beans. And the other is the cheeseburger style salad with bacon. Both were delicious. They came together super quick and they featured healthy ingredients. But Ted, I thought this was pretty cool. On the Home Chef website, you can see the chefs who created these recipes coming.

[Ted Danson]

So who did the cheeseburger salad?

[Nick Leo]

Cheeseburger salad was by chef Maya Barnes. Chef Laura Alpern created the pesto bruschetta chicken.

[Unknown]

Oh, that's great.

[Ted Danson]

Laura, Maya, we salute you.

[Nick Leo]

Thank you, chefs.

[Ted Danson]

For a limited time, Home Chef is offering our listeners 18 free meals, plus free dessert for life and of course, free shipping. On your first box, go to homechef.com Ted and Woody, that's homechef.com Ted and woody for 18 free meals and free dessert for life. Homechef.com Tedenwoody must be an active subscriber to receive free dessert. If you're like me, you sign up for something, forget about it. After the trial period ends, then you're charged month after month after month. The subscriptions are there, but you're not using them. And that is where Rocket Money comes in. Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending, and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings. Rocket Money's dashboard gives you a clear view of expenses across all accounts. Create a personalized budget with custom categories to track spending and view monthly trends. To see exactly where your money goes, cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket money, go to rocketmoney.com Ted and Woody today, that's rocketmoney.com Ted and Woody rocketmoney.com Ted and.

[Unknown]

Woody.

[Jane Fonda]

When you were growing up as a child and you're like Henry Fonda's daughter, you know, what was your childhood like and when did you have an awareness? Oh, my father is, you know, well.

[Woody Harrelson]

My first 10 years was spent in the hills, the Santa Monica hills, at the end of a road called Tigertail, in a home on nine acres. It was the end of a dirt road. There were no other houses overlooking the Pacific. And my father was not a social person. And, I mean, I knew that he would come home a lot looking different, but I never. I didn't really understand because I went to a private school where everybody's parents were famous. So I didn't really understand it. I was a tomboy. One thing I knew was that my father, who was almost always in a bad mood, but when he did movies like the oxbow incident or 12 angry men or the Wrong, he would be happy. That was made just before I was born. But that's an example. Grapes of Wrath. When he made movies about his values, he was happy. And although he never spoke to me about values or anything as a child, I knew the characters that he responded to and respected. Also, I spent all my time outdoors. This is what Ted Turner and I had in common. We found solace in nature, which is what leads later to becoming, like, an environmentalist, I guess. But it wasn't until the war ended and dad went into Broadway with Mr. Roberts, and we knew it was going to be a huge hit. And so we sold our house and moved to Greenwich. And that's where I suddenly realized, oh, we're different. Okay. This was in the 50s. There were children not allowed to play with me, to come to my house because I was part of a theatrical family. And that was considered, you know, right.

[Unknown]

Next door to Hooker.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah. But I began to realize that things were different because he was an actor. And then when I went to boarding school, the teachers treated me differently. They resented me.

[Jane Fonda]

Right. It worked against you.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah. But, you know, my father was a liberal Democrat. He once said to me, because I would talk to him about what I was hearing. Like, I went to Fort Ord and met with soldiers who had just come back from Vietnam. And one of them came up to me and he couldn't speak above a whisper. And it took him a long time to say it. And he's. What he was talking about was having killed a child, this young boy, and he was shaking, and he needed me to know that. And I told that to my father, and he didn't believe it. He said, if they had done things like this, they wouldn't talk about it. And so I said, I'm going to. He said, if you can prove to that what you're saying is true, I will lead marches on the White House. And so I brought him a Green Beret, Donald Duncan, who spent hours with him talking about what we were doing. But it was a generational thing. You know, he was of a generation that's. He was not an activist. He would tour for Johnson because Johnson said he was going to end the war, but he wouldn't lead a march. And that was just a generational thing, you know, but he tried to understand. But anyway, let me tell you something that is happening in California now, but it's actually a national issue. There are 2.7 million people in California that live dangerously close to oil wells. I mean, sometimes the oil wells are right outside bedroom windows or all around a playground, and the 2.7 million people are sick. I know a young girl, Naleli Kobo, in Downey. She lived across the street from an oil well. And at 9, she would have to sleep sitting up so as not to drown in the blood of her nosebleeds. And then she had to have a complete hysterectomy because of cancer of her reproductive systems. And everyone in her community got sick when the oil well was closed down. They got. Well, people are getting really sick. And for decades, we've been fighting to create what are called setbacks. Health and safety zones that say no oil wells can be inside this buffer zone. And finally, Governor Newsom passed it. He signed the bill Senate Bill 1137 and it passed. Great celebration. The next week, the oil companies in California began to gather signatures to overturn it. Lying to people, saying if the governor's bill passes, people are going to start getting sick in these communities, gas prices are going to go up, blah, blah, blah, Lies. But they got their signatures. It's going to be on the ballot next year, 2024, to overturn the setbacks. They're going to spend, we're told, $200 million to succeed, because it's a big deal.

[Unknown]

Have you ever skinny dipped with anyone? Come on, she's probably skinny dipped.

[Woody Harrelson]

The only living person that can say that. I have skinny dipped with Greta Garbo and Michael Jackson. Not at the same time. Some 40 years in between or so. But yeah.

[Unknown]

Wow, I love that. I love that.

[Jane Fonda]

How did you meet Greta Garbo?

[Woody Harrelson]

Well, one of my father's wives was an Italian jet setter, and she decided that I was 16. We were going to spend the summer in Villefranche, the south of France, in a villa, because it's very much the social season there and everyone was there. Jack Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy, Elsa Maxwell, all kinds of fancy people. And so my dad rented a villa and it was on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean. And all these fancy people would come over all the time, including the Kennedys. And nobody paid any attention to me.

[Unknown]

And at age, what, how old are you?

[Woody Harrelson]

Sixteen. And if they swam, it was in the pool. And then one day, Greta Garbo shows up with a woman accompanying her. And she pays attention to me. She came over and she said, would you like to go swimming? And she met in the ocean. And I'd been in the ocean enough to know it was fucking freezing. But she was Swedish, you know, so she didn't care. So I said, yeah. And she disappeared in the house with her friend. And they came out in terry cloth robes, those white rubber bathing caps. Remember those? I do, yeah. Only she looked great in them. You used to wear them.

[Unknown]

No, no, sorry, go on. I was being stupid.

[Woody Harrelson]

And so we went down into. It was like switchbacks down the side of the cliff to the ocean. There was a big flat rock. She dropped her terrycloth robe. And what I loved is it wasn't a playboy body, it was an athlete's body. I was so happy she was an athlete. And she dove right in without a second thought and swam really fast. And I slowly got in and I went out. And by the time I got out, she was coming back and she was. The two of us kind of pedaled water and looked at each other, and she said, are you. Do you want to be an actress? And I said, no. And she said, well, you should. You're pretty. You're pretty enough. I thought I was going to. I swallowed water. I was so happy. And, you know, and then I forgot that there was that other woman there. And then we walked back up. I was like a shishir cat. And nobody knew the difference, but I had that secret.

[Jane Fonda]

Oh, my God, you know.

[Woody Harrelson]

And then Michael Jackson had done a lot of favors for me. This was in the 80s, you know, fundraising stuff. And he said to me at the last Halloween party that he came to, and he would pose with me for people. He'd $25. You could take a Polaroid picture with Michael Jackson and me. It was pretty great. He said, I'm going to call in the chips at some point. Well, I was making on Golden Pond. And he called in the chips. He said he had just made the Whiz. He wanted to be a movie star. He wanted to watch Hepburn and Fonda work. And he asked if he could come up New Hampshire. I couldn't find a place that I thought would be safe for him to stay. There was no other black person in New Hampshire. So my husband and children had gone home for school. And so I was living in this very modest little shack on the edge of the lake, Squam Lake. And so I had him stay with me. It was the first time he'd ever traveled without bodyguards. And he stayed with me for 10 days. And that's when we went skinny dipping on one wonderful full moon night. But here's what's great. When I first I had to ask permission of Hepburn if I could have him come on the set, you know, And I explained, he's this young black. And she was such a snob, she was not happy at all. But then she found out who he was, so it became fine. And so every time he would be on the set, you know, I would bring him on the set, and in between takes, she would pull over a chair next to her for him, and he would bring out his tape recorder, and she would tell him stories. And every story would contain a lesson, a lesson for a rising megastar. For example, she had seen Laurette Taylor when she first performed in Glass Menagerie, which, according to all living people who ever saw her, it was transcendent, pure magic. And she described it to Michael. Then she described seeing it again a decade later with Lorette Taylor playing the same part. And the magic was gone, and it's because she wasn't hungry anymore. You have to stay hungry. And I thought, God, what a great lesson for Michael to hear stories like that.

[Jane Fonda]

Yeah.

[Woody Harrelson]

For 10 days. I mean, I wish I knew what happened to that tape recorder, because the price was. But she was fabulous with him, and he was. It was an interesting experience.

[Unknown]

Can I move to the fact that you have exercised and taken care of your body for many, many, many years? And it's not like this tangent I'm on, because the truth is, if you hadn't, you probably wouldn't have been able to travel the world with your activism like you do now, because you're incredibly healthy. How did that all start, the videotapes? When did you get really into exercising for health?

[Woody Harrelson]

Well, I. Ever since I became a movie actor, which was in my late teens, early 20s, it was ballet because women were not literally not supposed to exercise. I mean, if you went to a health club, there'd be the exercise room for men, and the women would, like, stand on something and have a band wiggle their butts. I mean, we weren't supposed to sweat and we weren't supposed to have muscles. And the only thing that I could find to do because I had body dysmorphia was ballet. And so for years I did ballet. And then I broke my foot doing China Syndrome. And I had to. I was about to go into a movie called California Suite, where I had to wear a bikini, and I couldn't do ballet anymore. And so I took a class with a woman called Lenny Kazden. And it was what became the workout. And it was. What I saw was that you could control the shape of your body by doing this kind of workout. And that's how it. And then it was the 70s, and there was a recession. And Tom Hayden, my second husband, and I were starting a statewide organization called called the Campaign for Economic Democracy. Very expensive to run a statewide organization in a state this big. And it was hard to raise money because there was recession. And I read about this horrible guy named Lyndon LaRouche. He had a computer company that paid for people to stand in the airport holding signs saying things like Feed Jane Fonda to the whales and Jane Fonda leaks more than Three Mile Island. And anyway, stuff like that going in, sending goons into gay bars to beat up gays. You know, that kind of thing. Well, he made his money off a comp on his computer company. And I read that article, and I said to Tom, we have to start a business. Long story short, it became the Jane Fonda Workout that was owned by the Campaign for Economic Democracy. And I raised tens of millions of dollars through the workout to support the statewide organization. That's how that happened.

[Unknown]

But your tape, those tapes were so successful. Didn't you get an award by the industry?

[Woody Harrelson]

I'm the only non scientist, non engineer to be in the video hall of fame because before I made the workout tapes, nobody I knew even owned a VCR player. You know, they just. It didn't exist because they cost too much money. And there was nothing that you wanted to use over and over and over that would justify the expense until the workout.

[Jane Fonda]

Oh, my God.

[Woody Harrelson]

And it's still the number one home video of all time still to this day.

[Unknown]

That's amazing.

[Woody Harrelson]

Isn't that great?

[Unknown]

Yeah, it is great.

[Jane Fonda]

Yeah. Just great.

[Unknown]

And what do you do now at 85 point, whatever you say.

[Woody Harrelson]

I do everything slowly. That's the word. Slow. It's true in sex and it's true in working out when you're older. Slow down. She specializes in women over 50. No, in people over 50. Most of them are women. And I do the same kinds of things, but slower, with less weights. And I just, you know, everything is replaced in me. I've got both hips, a shoulder, a thumb, my back, my knees, they're all fake. And so it's hard for me to do things. So I'm like pushing five pounds over my head. I used to do 15. And I'm thinking what a fucking wuss I am. But I don't speed up because that's when you get hurt if you're older. But if you keep moving, you're gonna be okay. You just have to keep moving. You have to keep limber. You have to keep muscle strength. Cause otherwise, just simple things like trying to back up and look over your shoulder becomes impossible. Or picking up your grandkids. You don't have grandkids yet.

[Jane Fonda]

No, no, no, no hurry on that. But yeah. I wish you could talk to my mom. You know, you were Both born in 37. You were in December. But anyway, she just doesn't want to do anything and her diet's criminal and. And all of it together just leading toward the inevitable. And I really, I. I wish to God I could convince her to, you know.

[Woody Harrelson]

You know, it's like once you start, then you get it, then you understand why. But it's hard to start.

[Jane Fonda]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Woody Harrelson]

And then once you start, you. You don't like it. I hate it. But when it's over, I'm so glad I did it. And when I Don't do it. I get so depressed. You know, I come from a long line of depressives. I don't know about you guys, but I have to work hard to not go down a rabbit hole. That's why activism is important and it's why working out is important.

[Unknown]

Do you occasionally go down rabbit holes?

[Woody Harrelson]

Oh, yeah.

[Unknown]

Really?

[Woody Harrelson]

Oh, yeah.

[Jane Fonda]

Do you believe in antidepressants? Yeah, but now I don't know. I don't know if I should bring this subject up, but I know your mom.

[Woody Harrelson]

My mother killed herself. She was bipolar, as girls often are when their fathers are alcoholic. Her father you're talking about, my maternal grandfather, was an alcoholic, schizophrenic, paranoid. I mean, it was bad. And my mother was bipolar. She killed herself.

[Jane Fonda]

Was he cruel to your.

[Woody Harrelson]

Was she cruel.

[Jane Fonda]

Was he cruel to your mom or to.

[Woody Harrelson]

I think he was cruel to the whole family. There were five children. Yeah, but she was sexually abused. He was paranoid. He was 30 years older than his wife and his wife was very beautiful, and he was paranoid. And so he would lock everything up and board up the windows. That's how they lived. And the only person allowed in was the piano tuner. And he was the one that abused my mother when she was 7, same age that I was abused. It's interesting how things repeat. And the shadow of early child abuse, it's generational. It casts a shadow over the daughter, the granddaughter. I've studied it. Even before I knew that my mother had been abused, I had studied it so that when I discovered that I knew all about what that meant in terms of her mental health and her suicide and everything.

[Unknown]

How did you not. If you can look back at that moment, I mean, I think there's probably. You either turn one way or the other. If you've been abused, how did you not succumb and think less of yourself and go the opposite direction? Why is your self esteem so intact?

[Woody Harrelson]

It's not. It's not. It's not. No, it's not. But it's all about resilience. And I find resilience one of the most interesting things in the world. Because you can have two siblings born of the same parents within a year of each other, and one will be resilient and one won't. And what does that mean, the one that's resilient? It means that when ill, adventure and mishaps come her way, she instinctively has this radar beam, infrared beam, scanning the horizon for any warm body that might love her or teach her or take her in. It's Just a kind of a thing that resilient people, they know when support is there and they can take it in. Someone who's not resilient can be surrounded by love and they can't metabolize it, they can't take it in. And a knockdown, they can't get up. You know, my brother was lacking in resilience, and I'm not. I don't know why. I've had therapists tell me that they can tell when someone walks. Walks in the door if they're resilient. Many people think that you're born with it. I think so. And then you can build on it. But I'm resilient, so I didn't succumb.

[Unknown]

Cannot tell you how much I love you, Jane Fonda.

[Woody Harrelson]

Oh, God, you don't know what that means to me, because I love you. I wish. Oh, audience, I wish that you could know Ted Danson the way I do. If wish you could see him with his wife Mary. I have never seen two people that have been together as long as you have that love each other so much and are so happy and the happiness radiates. Going to your home. Being in the presence of the two of you is like getting in a warm bath. It's just wonderful. And everybody that knows you agrees with that. They all feel the same way. You're just heaven.

[Unknown]

Well, I'm out. Woody, you gotta.

[Jane Fonda]

I agree.

[Woody Harrelson]

It's true, isn't it, Woody?

[Unknown]

Well, both of you are inspirations to me. You are both.

[Woody Harrelson]

And you are both to me, too.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

But I mean, you. You're both courageous beyond belief. And I. Yeah.

[Jane Fonda]

You don't have to lump me into her single. Don't make that into a two shot. I think she's. I think.

[Woody Harrelson]

I wish I could understand a great woman. I don't understand you at all. And I've tried from afar, but you're deeply loved.

[Jane Fonda]

Anyway, I.

[Woody Harrelson]

And you're both so good at what you do.

[Jane Fonda]

You're so lucky you came. And when you. When I heard you were coming, I was just shouted. Yeah. Really so excited. Yeah. Thank you. I think you're wonderful. I'm so happy. Became.

[Woody Harrelson]

I thought you didn't like me.

[Jane Fonda]

What?

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah. What?

[Jane Fonda]

Why would you think.

[Unknown]

Kindred spirit.

[Woody Harrelson]

Yeah, but I'm very. This has made me very happy. Thank you both for having me. I appreciate it.

[Jane Fonda]

Thank you, Jane.

[Woody Harrelson]

Thank you.

[Unknown]

Yeah. Thanks so much. Thanks so much to our amazing guest, Jane Fonda.

[Ted Danson]

That's it for this week's show. And special thanks to Woody for joining if you like this episode, tell a friend. Or better yet, subscribe to this show.

[Unknown]

Wherever you get your podcasts, I won't.

[Ted Danson]

Twist your arm, but you could also.

[Unknown]

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. We'll have more for you next time. Where everybody knows your name. See you soon.

[Ted Danson]

Play us out.

[Unknown]

John Osborne.

[Nick Leo]

You've been listening to Where Everybody Knows yous Name with Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson, Sometimes. The show is produced by me, Nick Leo. Executive producers are Adam Sachs, Colin Anderson, Jeff Ross and myself. Sara Fedorovich is our supervising producer. Our Senior producer is Matt Apodaca. Engineering and mixing by Joanna Samuel with support from Eduardo Perez research by Alyssa Grohl Talent booking by Paula Davis and Gina Batista. Our theme music is by Woody Harrelson, Anthony Genn, Mary Steenburgen and Jennifer John Osborne. Special thanks to Willie Naveray. We'll have more for you next time. Where everybody knows your name.

[Scott Aukerman]

This is Comedy Bang Bang the podcast, the promo and in 30 seconds I'm gonna tell you why you should check out the show. I the host Scott Aukerman have a light hearted conversation with famous celebrities like Jon Hamm, Allison Williams, Phoebe Bridgers, Jason Alexander Xander, Natasha Lyonne, Bob Odenkirk, just to name a few things go a little off the rails when different eccentric characters and oddballs drop by to be interviewed as well. Each week is a blend of conversations and character work from your favorite comedians as well as some new hilarious voices. Comedy Bang Bang the Podcast Listen every Monday wherever you get your podcasts.

[Unknown]

At Strayer University we help students like you go from Is it possible To Anything is possible by offering access to up to 10 no cost gen Ed course so you can reach your goals affordably and fast. Visit strayer.edu to learn more. No cost gen eds provided by Strayer University affiliate Sophia eligibility rules apply. Connect with us for details. Strayer University is certified to operate in Virginia by CHEV and has many campuses including at 2121 15th Street north in Arlington, Virginia.