LOS ANGELES — Jane Fonda wants to make it clear that she loved "The Way We Were" star Barbra Streisand's Oscar tribute to Robert Redford.
Streisand emotionally sang the 1973 drama's title song, "The Way We Were," during the March Academy Awards' In Memoriam segment for Redford, who died Sept. 16 at age 89. After the ceremony, Fonda said during a red carpet interview that she should have been on the Oscars stage, having starred in four movies with Redford, compared to Streisand's one movie.
But Fonda was simply joking, the actress and activist said while kicking off the opening night of the TCM Classic Film Festival on April 30.
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"By the way, Barbra came on the Oscars thing to honor Bob. I was on the press line, and I thought I was being funny," Fonda said, minutes after settling into her seat on the TCM stage. "I said, 'Why did they ask (Streisand)? I made four movies with him.' But actually, I thought it was fabulous that they had Barbra out there, because that was such an iconic movie and the song was so incredibly beautiful."
"Bob would have liked it," Fonda added over applause.
Over five decades, Fonda starred with Redford in four films — the 1966 action drama "The Chase" (with Marlon Brando), the 1967 romantic comedy "Barefoot in the Park," the 1979 drama "The Electric Horseman," and the 2017 drama "Our Souls at Midnight."
The TCM Festival opening night honored "Barefoot in the Park," the silver-screen adaptation of Neil Simon's hit Broadway play that launched Redford's career. Fonda played Corie Bratter, a free-spirited newlywed adjusting to married life in a cramped New York apartment with Redford as her more conservative lawyer husband, Paul.
Married Fonda was so struck by Redford that she asked him about affairs
Fonda said she first met Redford on "The Chase" when she was married to French director Roger Vadim. Redford was married at the time to his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen.
"We were both married. And I asked him, 'Do you ever have affairs?'" Fonda said from the stage. "He had a weird answer. He said, 'Well, if I was going to have an affair, it would be with somebody that was like a hooker.'"
During the making of the movie, Fonda said the attraction only grew playing newlyweds who lock themselves in New York City's Plaza Hotel for six days of canoodling.
"We were supposed to be really calm in bed, which gave me an excuse to rub up against him," said Fonda. "He was supposed to be asleep, so he acted like he was sleeping. But I had such a crush on him."
The actress was obviously not alone in admiring her leading man. Even before Redford broke out in "Barefoot," the up-and-coming actor caused a stir while strolling on the famed Paramount Studios lot.
"I remember walking down the corridor and I noticed every secretary opening the door and sneaking out to get a look," said Fonda. "I knew he was going to be a big star. He was meant to be in movies. He was a brilliant movie star and also the most gorgeous human being I have been with."
Fonda and Redford were so close that their families used to celebrate Christmas at Redford's home in Sundance, Utah.
"One year, he had a broken arm because he tried to climb up his chimney, I'm not kidding," said Fonda, who described Redford as an adventurer fond of climbing the famed steeple at the Crest Theater in Westwood, California. "And he drove very fast. When we were making 'Electric Horseman,' he would drive these mountain roads so fast. It was scary, but I never let him know."
Fonda jokes she 'didn't love watching' Glenn Close kiss Redford in 'The Natural'
Fonda said her favorite Redford movie, without her, was actually "The Way We Were" with Streisand and 1984's "The Natural," which starred Glenn Close as Redford's love interest.
"I didn't love watching him kiss Glenn Close," Fonda said. And yes, she was joking.
Fonda praised Oscar-winner Redford's spirit and his support of independent film and filmmakers with the co-founding of the Sundance Film Festival.
"He mattered," Fonda said, adding that Redford would be against the pending merger between Paramount Skydance Studios and Warner Bros. "Look what's happening in this town. If that (merger) goes through we're going to lose everything that Bob was trying to do, what he was about. We have to fight it in the spirit of Robert Redford."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jane Fonda clears air over Streisand’s Oscar tribute to Robert Redford
