Premiering on Netflix in 2015, Grace and Frankie became a raging success among viewers of all ages due to its raw and hilarious nature. Featuring two older women who found out their husbands were leaving them for each other, Grace and Frankie are forced to team up, live together, and get through their differences in order to make it through that tough time in their lives. Showcasing the downfalls to age, overbearing children, secrets, and elderly homes – Grace and Frankie is now renewed for a sixth season.
Starring Jane Fonda (Grace) and Lily Tomlin (Frankie), the show has an amazing cast, writers, and even better moments behind scenes. Here are some little-known facts about everyone’s favorite California natives.
Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin Go Way Back
In the show, Grace and Frankie knew each other because their husbands worked together at a law firm, eventually becoming partners both in business and in life. The two did not get along, due to their differences in lifestyle choices; however, they had no choice when they found out they had to shack up together.
In real life, however, Fonda and Tomlin have known each other for decades! The two even starred next to Dolly Parton in the TV series 9 to 5. Once Fonda heard about the show, it took a year to convince Tomlin to join the cast as Frankie, and when she did, these two besties were back together on screen.
Lily Tomlin Found This To Be The Hardest Thing About Filming
As fans of the show know, Lily Tomlin’s Frankie Bergstein is a free spirit who has a ton of thoughts on…well, everything. And while the actress loves and supports everything Frankie goes through in the Netflix series, there was one thing she had trouble doing while filming.
According to the National Public Radio’s Fresh Air, there was a scene where she had to degrade substitute teachers, which she found offensive and hard to do. Yet, she rallied through.
Their Beach House Isn’t In La Jolla…
It’s a dream of many to realize that after a divorce, they still have a place to call home. Oh, and it’s a beachfront property! After Robert and Sol announce they want to divorce their wives for each other, both Grace and Frankie have a separate revelation to go to the beach house to clear their mind. After finding out they both had the same idea, they learn to co-exist, later becoming best friends. In the show, their beachfront house is in La Joya; however, in real life, this beautiful home is in Malibu!
Grace & Frankie Almost Got Together?
One of the most endearing and inspiring things about Grace and Frankie is that despite unusually horrific circumstances, these two bonded together and formed a deeper bond than anyone could have expected. Going through the same tragedy, these two have a blossoming friendship that many hope to find in life.
However, writer, Marta Kaufman’s daughter, had another idea for the iconic show: for Grace and Frankie to get together romantically. It’s already odd enough that their husbands left them for each other but for them to fall in love because of loneliness? I’m not too sure about that.
Grace & Frankie Has The Same Writer As ‘Friends’
Marta Kaufman of Friends popularity told The Hollywood Reporter that it took some major convincing that she could produce a show that was as good or as important as Friends. The concept came about after Kaufman heard both Fonda and Tomlin wanted to get back into TV. Not knowing if they wanted to work together or separately, the idea of Tomlin and Fonda working together again gave Kaufman a starting point. Once she had her stars, the storyline came next.
The Show Almost Happened Without Jane Fonda
You don’t need to be an avid viewer of Grace and Frankie to know that Jane Fonda (Grace) is an icon. At 81 years old and 60 years in show business, Fonda has won a ton of awards and has stood up for many political sentiments that were near and dear to her heart through the ages.
However, due to Jane’s aggressive nature at times, The Wall Street Journal found out that a test screening showed audiences liking the show better without Fonda. But considering the show was created with her and Tomlin in mind, they took the chance.
Fonda Also Took Acting Lessons For The Part Of Grace
Grace is a real ball buster. She’s smart, she’s business savvy, she’s straightforward, and she’s blunt. Although she has a good heart buried behind all those labels, it’s tough to see at times because she is so forceful. Now, as an actress, it may seem fun to play a woman who has such strength and charisma, but for Jane Fonda, she found it challenging. Considering Grace and Frankie is on their sixth season, Jane found it hard to portray someone on TV for a longer stint of time, which is why she turned to acting lessons to become a strong character on screen.
Martin Sheen Has A Lot In Common With His Character Robert
While so many of us were mad at Robert and Sol for cheating on their wives and families for 20 years, so many of us were also rooting for them to work out. In a world that’s becoming more and more accepting of different lifestyles, we all just wanted these characters to be happy at the end of the day.
In one of the episodes, Robert (Martin Sheen) decided to take a stand against hatred and joined activism marches with his partner Sol. However, it took Robert some convincing to do so from Sol before finally doing so. In real life though, Martin Sheen felt so strongly about activism, that he was arrested around 70 times for protesting!
The Show’s Heart Is At The Beach
Considering the show is called Grace and Frankie — the show is about the lives of Grace and Frankie. After moving from their spouse’s homes to the beach house in La Joya, the two end up selling it, giving into their children’s efforts claiming they’re too “old” to live alone. The pair end up getting their beach house back in season five, and if you’ve followed from the beginning, you’ll notice that every episode starts and ends with the beach or the beach house.
‘Clueless’ Fans Should Pay Attention In The Episode ‘The Bender’
The ‘95 movie Clueless is iconic for its one-liners and daily life in California’s luxurious communities. In one scene, Cher decides to vacate a vehicle to get away from Elton. The only problem is, she’s in a bad side of town and ends up being robbed in front of a convenience store while waiting for a ride.
Funny enough, the same convenience store in season two’s “The Bender,” is seen where Grace’s car is stolen while she’s getting liquor! I guess it really is in a bad side of town!
