Lily Tomlin Says Jane Fonda Was 'Glamorous' But Looked Like 'a Lot of Trouble' When They First Met

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Lily Tomlin teased that there's more than meets the eye with her Moving On costar Jane Fonda.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE at the film's Los Angeles premiere on Wednesday, the 80 For Brady star, 83, says that when she first met her friend and Grace and Frankie costar at her one-woman show, she knew that Fonda had a hint of a rebellious streak.

"She looked like she was very glamorous and she could be a lot of trouble," Tomlin jokes about the activist and actress, 85.

When the pair were both arrested in 2019 during climate protests in Washington, D.C., which were organized by the Monster-in-Law actress, Tomlin said at the time: "I support Jane; Jane is a real toughie."

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Tomlin tells PEOPLE that she always had an easy rapport with Fonda and whenever there's downtime on set, the two aren't afraid to have some banter. Moving On director and writer Paul Weitz reveals there was one particular day on set where they bickered over old film stars.

"There's a driving scene and when you're doing a driving scene, you're sitting there for a long time basically pulling the car and you're listening to them banter with each other," recalls Weitz. "And that was really fun for me. It was one of my most fun days I've ever had on set because the two of them were cracking jokes, insulting each other, singing songs, and then arguing over movie stars of the '30s and '40s. And it was just so lovely. Like listening to these two act like sisters with each other."

Fonda and Tomlin star in Moving On, a film in which two old friends reconnect at a funeral and decide to get revenge on the widower who tormented them decades before.

Tomlin said while most of these collaborations together tend to come their way, this time she had a hand in making it happen.

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"I did call Paul about this movie and ask him to write one for us. But that's because I had a special relationship with him and I don't think I have that relationship with anyone else," says Tomlin, who previously made the 2015 comedy Grandma with Weitz.

"Except Jane. She's not going to write a screenplay, she's going to write another book," she adds.

The two longtime actresses are no strangers to voicing their support for each other over the years. Last year, after Fonda revealed that she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Tomlin praised her frequent costar as "indomitable."

RELATED Video: Lily Tomlin Calls Grace and Frankie Costar Jane Fonda a 'Real Toughie' Amid Protest Arrests

"She's very forthright and talkative about what's going on with her in all respects," Tomlin told PEOPLE. "First thing, she says, 'Don't worry, it's really treatable. It's one of the most treatable forms that you could possibly have, so I'm really lucky in that regard.'"

"And she's like, 'So are you gonna come to my next fundraiser?' " Tomlin said with a laugh. "That's her main objective."