Jane Fonda wonders why Barbra Streisand, and not her, paid tribute to Robert Redford on the Oscar stage during the awards ceremony’s memorial segment Sunday night.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, Fonda was asked about her thoughts on this year’s Tribute montage, specifically about the late Diane Keaton. The two actors co-starred in 2018’s Book Club and its 2023 sequel.
“Oh, I didn’t see that!” Fonda said, referring to the moment when Rachel McAdams paid tribute to her “Family Stone” co-star Keaton. “Oh my gosh, her death was such a shock to me. We lost a lot of talent.”
Fonda then playfully said, “I want to know, why would Streisand do that for Redford? She only made one movie with him. I made four! I have more to say.”
When asked what her fondest memory was of working with Redford, Fonda laughed and replied: “I always loved him.”
Redford passed away on September 16, 2025 at the age of 89. He and Fonda co-starred in four films, including The Chase (1960), Barefoot in the Park (1967), The Electric Horseman (1979), and Our Souls at Night (2017).
In a red carpet interview with ET, Fonda described Redford as “the most gorgeous human being” with “tremendous values.”
“He did a lot for the movie. He really changed the movie,” she continued. “Encouraging independent films.”
At the 98th Academy Awards, Ms. Streisand appeared on stage to pay tribute to Ms. Redford, her co-star in the 1973 romantic drama “The Way We Were.”
“After I read the first script for ‘The Way We Were,’ I could only imagine one man to play the role, and that was Robert Redford,” Streisand said. “But he turned me down because the character didn’t have any backbone. He didn’t stand for anything, and he was right. After many drafts, Bob finally agreed to come on. He’s a wonderful, sensitive actor, and we had a great time playing around with each other because you never knew what the other person was going to do in a scene.”
Also recognized in the memorial section were Rob Reiner and his wife, Michelle Singer Reiner, Catherine O’Hara, Robert Duvall, Diana Ladd, and Val Kilmer.
