Jane Fonda has made no secret of the fact that she has been under the knife, but the Hollywood legend didn't take too kindly to being quizzed about her cosmetic surgery during a recent interview to promote her new film, Our Souls At Night.

The 79-year-old actress's appearance on The Today Show took an awkward turn after host Megyn Kelly decided to divert the conversation to the Fonda's ageless beauty.

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"You've been an example to everyone in how to age beautifully and with strength and unapologetically. You admit you've had work done, which I think is to your credit. But you look amazing," she said.

"I read that you said you're not proud to admit you've had work done. Why not?"

The Barbarella actress appeared visibly stunned by the line of questioning and shot daggers at the presenter.

After a long pause, she replied: "We really want to talk about that right now?"

Kelly then attempted to change tack by mentioning that she was admired Fonda, saying: "One of the things people think about you when they look at you is how amazing you look."

But an exasperated Fonda cut her off by saying it was all down to "good attitude, good posture..." before taking control of the interview and navigating the subject back to the new movie like a pro.

"But let me tell you why I love this movie that we did, Our Souls at Night, rather than plastic surgery," she continued.

Redford co-signed his co-star −who is a global ambassador for cosmetics giant L'Oreal −by laughing and saying: "Back to that, huh."

Fans tuning into the show took to social media in their droves to praise the Oscar-winning screen icon for the way she handled the cringe-worthy moment.

US actress Sarah Michelle Gellar hailed Fonda for keeping her composure writing: "So how come @megynkelly didn't ask @RobertRedford if he had any plastic surgery? Way to stay composed @janefonda #doublestandard."

"Props to the AMAZING Jane Fonda for changing the topic on #MegynTODAY, " another fan wrote.

Netflix movie Our Souls At Night tells the tale of a late-in-life romance between two neighbours, Addie and Louis. Fonda previously played Redford's love interest in 1967 American comedy film Barefoot in the Park.

"I wanted to be able to fall in love with him again," Fonda said at Venice Film Festival earlier in September. "In Barefoot in the Park, I couldn't keep my hands off of him. I was constantly forcing myself on him. In Our Souls at Night, the dynamic of my character to his character was somewhat similar. I just love the fact that these films bookend our careers."