Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon Talks 'Barbarella' With Jane Fonda

Duran Duran singer Simon Le Bon had a longtime wish come true recently when he made the acquaintance of a legendary actress whose '60s movie has a very special connection with his band.

On Monday, Le Bon wrote a blog post on Duran Duran's website about how he met Jane Fonda, who played the sexy title character of the science fiction movie 'Barbarella.' The 1968 film featured a character called Durand-Durand, which obviously led to the group's name.

The occasion was an event held at the chateau of fashion designer Valentino Garavani in France, where Le Bon and his wife Yasmin were among the guests. "John [Taylor, Duran Duran's bassist] came up to me ... and said, 'You must come and meet Jane Fonda!' which I had never done," Le Bon wrote. "So I went over to her and asked, 'What do you think about us being Duran Duran?'"

According to Le Bon, the actress replied, "It was difficult for awhile, but after a few marriages, and one to someone with a sense of humor, I finally came around to it!" He added: "She was lovely, I am really glad I finally got to meet the original 'Barbarella.'"

Duran Duran has referenced 'Barbarella' in their career several times. Milo O'Shea, the actor who played Durand-Durand in the film, appeared in the band's 1984 concert movie 'Arena (An Absurd Notion).' In 1997, Duran Duran released their album 'Medazzaland,' which included the song 'Electric Barbarella.'

"Really, after meeting Jane Fonda, my mood was on a high for the rest of the evening," Le Bon wrote towards the end of his blog entry.

Meanwhile, the group is finishing a new album with producer Mark Ronson. In a recent YouTube video, keyboardist Nick Rhodes said that the album could be completed by the middle of this month.

"It's a very uplifting record, this one," he said. "The tempo is much higher than the previous few records. There are four out of 12 [tracks that] are slower or mid-tempo songs. One in particular is, I think, one of the most beautiful things we've done, certainly since 'Ordinary World.' There's some interesting subject matter in the lyrics too, a lot of irony, which I like for breakfast."