Jane Fonda Recalls The Hollywood Director Who Tried to Sleep With Her and She Turned Down

The 85-year-old actress makes the bombshell claim on 'Watch What Happens Live.'

Jane Fonda just dropped a Hollywood bombshell. The 85-year-old actress didn’t hold back while a guest on Monday's episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.

Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen were on the Bravo show promoting Book Club: The Next Chapter, and Fonda was selected to play Plead the Fifth, a game where contestants are asked three questions and you can only pass on one. 

The two-time Academy Award winner was asked by Cohen, "Name one man in Hollywood who tried to pick you up once that you turned down."

Without much hesitation, Fonda responded, "The French director René Clément."

Clément directed Fonda in the 1964 French mystery–thriller, Joy House. It is based on the 1954 novel of the same name by Day Keene.

"Was it a sloppy pass?" asked Cohen. 

"Well, he wanted to go to bed with me because he said that the character had to have an orgasm in the movie and he needed to see what my orgasms were like, but he said it in French and I pretended like I didn’t understand," recalled Fonda.

"That is amazing, perfect," Cohen replied. 

Jane Fonda and René Clément in 1963. - REPORTERS ASSOCIES/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Earlier this month, ET's Matt Cohen sat down with Fonda, Bergen and Steenburgen to talk about Book Club: The Next Chapter, and their longstanding evolution in the film industry.

The famed actresses are reprising their roles in the Book Club universe -- with the sequel coming to theaters May 12 -- but this time, they are off to Italy on an incredible journey on and off the pages! 

Set in both Rome and Venice, Bergen said filming in Italy was "heaven." 

When asked about their futures in the film industry, 85-year-old Fonda, 76-year-old Bergen and 70-year-old Steenburgen have no plans to retire -- with Fonda jokingly responding, "Golf?!" 

Fonda explained how acting continues to both excite and challenge her creatively. 

"The great thing about acting is that you're invited to come and become another person," she said. "You have to enter that other person with great empathy. It's just such a challenge to find who is this person that I'm supposed to be and what was she like as a child. I find great joy with that kind of character exploration."

Echoing her co-star's sentiments, Steenburgen deemed acting as the "ultimate puzzle."

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