“My knees actually got weak when he walked into my trailer,” the Oscar winner said.
Tom Brady left Jane Fonda starstruck.
The legendary quarterback produces and stars in upcoming film “80 for Brady,” based on the true story of a group of senior women who take a road trip to the 2017 Super Bowl to meet Brady. Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Sally Field, and Rita Moreno star as the core friend group, with Brady’s former teammates Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, and Danny Amendola appearing.
“My knees actually got weak when he walked into my trailer,” Fonda told The Hollywood Reporter at the world premiere of the film during the Palm Springs International Film Festival. “I’m in awe of that kind of skill. When somebody is the best in the world at what they do, you have to honor that and respect it. I was just awestruck.”
Fonda continued, “He was kind and humble, which is hard to believe considering how brilliant he is at what he does, but it’s true. He was also sweet and polite.”
Co-star Tomlin, who continues her onscreen partnership with fellow “Grace & Frankie” alum Fonda in the film, gushed that it was “pretty fabulous” to work with Brady.
“He’s a good actor. He’s very personable and unassuming,” Tomlin said. “Just looking at his face and his eyes and watching him listen to me as an actor trying to reciprocate in the same way. I felt like I was that [real-life] woman from Boston who was in her 80s. I felt, in fact, as though he was my son when I had to do this speech with him.”
“80 for Brady” is directed by Kyle Marvin, who also co-wrote the script with Michael Covino, using a draft by “Booksmart” screenwriting duo Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins. Marvin and Corvino will also serve as executive producers under their Watch This Ready banner, along with Jeff Stott. Brady will produce the feature film through his production company 199 Productions, along with Donna Gigliotti and Endeavor Content.
While Brady has briefly dabbled in Hollywood, playing himself in both “Entourage” and “The Simpsons,” the all-star quarterback most recently produced ESPN Original documentary “Man in the Arena” about his own football career.
The film also marks another chapter in lead stars Tomlin and Fonda’s onscreen partnership. The “Grace & Frankie” duo previously told IndieWire that their complementary comedic timing came naturally.
“We worry about not getting the tempo, rhythm and reading right for when it’s supposed to be funny, but we also know that if we think about it and it becomes a head thing, it doesn’t work,” Fonda said. “So, we try to make it organic. That’s her modus operandi. It’s just all kind of organic and spontaneous.”
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