Lily Tomlin praised her “indomitable” friend and co-star Jane Fonda for her resilience after revealing her cancer diagnosis earlier this month.
“She’s very candid and talkative in every way about what’s going on with her,” Tomlin, 83, told her longtime boyfriend at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.
“The first thing she says is, ‘Don’t worry, it’s really treatable. It’s one of the most treatable forms you can have, so I’m really lucky in that regard,'” the actress told People on Monday.
She went on to say that Fonda, 84, has been looking for ways to get the most out of her diagnosis.
“And she says, ‘So are you coming to my next fundraiser?'” Tomlin joked. “That’s her main goal.”
Fonda revealed on September 2 that she had undergone six months of chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in an emotional Instagram post.
“This is a very treatable cancer. 80% of people survive, so I’m very lucky,” she captioned a selfie.
She continued: “I am also lucky because I have health insurance and access to the best doctors and treatments. I realize, and it is painful, that I am privileged in this. Almost every family in America has had to deal with cancer and far too many don’t have access to the quality health care I receive and this is not good.”
The legendary actress also said she’s “handling the treatments fairly well,” noting that she won’t let the disease interfere with her climate change activism.
Fonda also called Cancer “a teacher” and said she “pays attention to the lessons it holds for me,” adding that it showed her “the importance of community.”
The Oscar-winning actress emphasized the importance of eliminating cancer causes like “fossil fuels” before closing the post by encouraging her 1.9 million followers to take action during the upcoming midterm elections.
Fonda and Tomlin have been friends for more than four decades since they met in 1977 on Tomlin’s one-man show “Appearing Nitely.” They starred together in “9 to 5” in 1980. They have done many projects together, including Netflix’s longest-running series “Frankie and Grace”.
“We’ve both heard from women who’ve been through terrible things that watching ‘Grace and Frankie’ has kept their heads above water and given them hope,” Fonda said of the Emmy-nominated show earlier this year.
They are currently starring in the movie “Moving On” together.