HOLLYWOOD

Here’s What Happens Inside Jane Fonda’s Exclusive Dance Parties (Besides Dancing)

Image may contain Jane Fonda Human Person Fashion Paparazzi and Premiere
By Todd Williamson/Getty Images.

Should you be invited to one Hollywood dance party, you better hope it is Jane Fonda’s. The actress’s guest lists are so exclusive that, this past June, Fonda allowed Elizabeth Banks and James Corden to audition for admittance on live television. And now, in a new interview, the actress reveals what goes on behind closed doors at these intriguing dance sessions.

“Well, first of all, there’s no dinner,” Fonda informs Vulture during an interview for her latest awards-worthy turn in Youth. “We usually have a few special cocktails, and regular booze—and a little stuff to nosh on so that people don’t get too drunk. I live with Richard Perry, and we re-created Perry’s infamous pub from where he lived somewhere else, with a jukebox and plastic palm trees.”

Fonda also reveals what she does for music: “Sometimes I’ve had a disc jockey, but more often than not, I’ll ask a few key people like Catherine Keener to bring their playlists. She has great taste. Diane Lane is very good, too.”

And should you receive a golden ticket, do not stress too much about your dancing skills—as the host herself deems herself an amateur in this department.

“I try to invite people who are very good dancers. I’m not, so I sit and watch a lot. Elizabeth Banks is a fabulous dancer! Ellen Page is a fabulous dancer! Catherine Keener, after a certain point in the evening, becomes like a Native American warrior. Bill Maher only danced once, at the end of the evening when ‘Under My Thumb’ was played, which I thought was interesting.”

The major takeaways from this interview being: 1) You should always fortify yourself before attending a Jane Fonda dance party, and 2) never underestimate Catherine Keener’s value as a party guest ever again.

Take a look at Banks’s and Corden’s auditions for Fonda below.

For the rest of the interview, click here. Paolo Sorrentino’s Youth opens in theaters December 4.