'Book Club: The Next Chapter' Cast Interviews

Moviefone speaks with Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen about 'Book Club: The Next Chapter.' "Be prepared to laugh and maybe cry," Fonda said.

Opening in theaters on May 12th is the sequel to 2018’s ‘Book Club’ entitled ‘Book Club: The Next Chapter,’ which is once again directed and co-written by Bill Holderman.

What is the plot of 'Book Club: The Next Chapter?’

Four elderly best friends (Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen) take their book club to Italy for the fun girls' trip they never had. When things go off the rails and secrets are revealed, their relaxing vacation turns into a once-in-a-lifetime cross-country adventure.

Book Club: The Next Chapter

"Slightly scandalous. Totally fabulous."

PG-131 hr 48 minMay 12th, 2023

Showtimes & Tickets

Watch Book Club: The Next Chapter Online

Who is in the cast of ‘Book Club: The Next Chapter?’

‘Book Club: The Next Chapter’ stars Oscar-winner Diane Keaton (‘Annie Hall,’ ‘The Godfather’) as Diane, Oscar-winner Jane Fonda (‘Klute,’ ’80 For Brady’) as Vivian, Oscar-winner Mary Steenburgen (‘Melvin and Howard,’ ‘Back to the Future Part III’) as Carol, and Oscar-nominee Candice Bergen (‘Gandhi,’ ‘Carnal Knowledge’) as Sharon, as well as Oscar-nominee Andy Garcia (‘The Godfather Part III’) as Mitchell, Don Johnson (‘Knives Out’) as Arthur, Craig T. Nelson (‘The Incredibles’) as Bruce, and Giancarlo Giannini (‘Man on Fire’).

Moviefone recently had the honor of speaking with Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen about their work on ‘Book Club: The Next Chapter,’ the friendship between their characters, working together, shooting on location in Italy, and what audiences can expect from the new movie.

(L to R) Jane Fonda stars as Vivian, Candice Bergen as Sharon, and Mary Steenburgen as Carol in 'Book Club: The Next Chapter,' a Focus Features release. Credit: Riccardo Ghilardi / © 2023 Fifth Season, LLC.

You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Fonda, Bergen and Steenburgen, as well as writer Erin Simms, and director Bill Holderman.

Moviefone: To begin with, what would you say to moviegoers sitting down to watch this film for the first time to prepare them for the theatrical experience they are about to have?

Candice Bergen: Well, it's more of a film than it seems. It's a very lighthearted film, but at the same time, it's inspiring. It's moving, and you come away from it feeling more about friendship than you did before.

Jane Fonda: Be prepared to laugh a lot and maybe cry a little. And you certainly want to book a ticket to Italy.

Mary Steenburgen: I mean, it’s some of the most beautiful scenery you'll ever see in a country that all of us deep down inside either want to go to or have already fallen in love with. It was so beautifully shot, and it's about something real. It's about real friends, and funnily enough, in real life, we really are friends.

Mary Steenburgen stars as Carol, Candice Bergen as Sharon, Diane Keaton as Diane and Jane Fonda as Vivian in 'Book Club: The Next Chapter,' a Focus Features release.

(L to R) Mary Steenburgen stars as Carol, Candice Bergen as Sharon, Diane Keaton as Diane and Jane Fonda as Vivian in 'Book Club: The Next Chapter,' a Focus Features release.
Credit: Riccardo Ghilardi / © 2023 Fifth Season, LLC.

MF: Jane, can you talk about Vivian's nervousness regarding her upcoming marriage and how this trip to Italy with her friends really helps her find her true voice again?

JF: Very well said. I don't want to give anything away. There is a wedding. It's not what people are going to expect. There's a big surprise, and I do think that it's the experience that she's had during this trip with her friends that allows her to accept that big surprise.

Mary Steenburgen stars as Carol, Jane Fonda as Vivian, Diane Keaton as Diane and Candice Bergen as Sharon in 'Book Club: The Next Chapter,' a Focus Features release.

(L to R) Mary Steenburgen stars as Carol, Jane Fonda as Vivian, Diane Keaton as Diane and Candice Bergen as Sharon in 'Book Club: The Next Chapter,' a Focus Features release. Credit: © 2023 Fifth Season, LLC.

MF: Mary, Carol is looking for some excitement in her life, and it’s her suggestion that she and her friends take a trip to Italy. Can you talk about that and the way this vacation really changes her life?

MS: I mean, Carol, my character is a chef that's had quite a bit of success. At the very beginning of the film, her restaurant, which has been her lifelong dream, has had to close because of COVID. So I think I'm a little lost and I come across this journal that I'd written in when I was a young woman. I realized that the four of us had planned this trip to Italy and we never made it. So I just think it's time. We're reading the book, ‘The Alchemist,’ that talks about fulfilling your destiny, listening to the beat of your own heart and going for your dreams. So I just say we have to go, and we do.

Diane Keaton as Diane, Mary Steenburgen as Carol, Candice Bergen as Sharon, and Jane Fonda as Vivian in 'Book Club: The Next Chapter,' a Focus Features release.

(L to R) Diane Keaton as Diane, Mary Steenburgen as Carol, Candice Bergen as Sharon, and Jane Fonda as Vivian in 'Book Club: The Next Chapter,' a Focus Features release.

MF: Finally, Candice, can you talk about how Sharon is coming to terms with her recent retirement, and how this trip gives her an opportunity to finally cut loose with her friends?

CB: She does. She cuts loose in a gondola and it was really fun. In fact, it's the first time she's been retired and she can be with her friends, and be in Italy and give herself to that trip wholeheartedly. Because she no longer has the burden of being a judge on her shoulders.