Jane Fonda has never been far from political controversy. Throughout her long career, she has made headlines for her outspoken views.
In 1972, she was given the nickname “Hanoi Jane” after being photographed on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun. Even before that, in the 1960s, she supported the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Panthers, which divided public opinion.
Last weekend, Fonda received the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Life Achievement Award. During her speech, she took a moment to share her thoughts on the current political climate.
With politics in the U.S. more intense than ever, many celebrities are using their platforms to express their views.
At 87 years old, Fonda used her SAG Awards speech to send a strong message.
“Thank you, SAG AFTRA. Your enthusiasm makes this seem less like a late twilight of my life, and more like a go girl, kick a. Which is good because I’m not done,”** she said.
Though she did not mention Trump by name, she referred to Sebastian Stan’s role as him in the 2024 film The Apprentice.
Fonda then spoke about the importance of empathy.
“Though you may hate the behavior of your character, you have to understand and empathize with the traumatized person you’re playing.”
She also defended “wokeness” in her speech.
“Empathy is not weak or ‘woke.’ And, by the way, ‘woke’ just means you care about other people.”
Fonda continued by saying that many people will suffer from upcoming changes and that unity will be important.
“We are going to need a big tent to resist what’s coming at us.”
She encouraged people to listen to others, even those with different political views.
“We need to call upon our empathy and not judge, but listen from our hearts. We must welcome them into our tent, because we are going to need a big tent to resist successfully what’s coming at us.”
Her comments come at a time of political tension in the U.S. Trump’s second term has already brought rapid changes, and many are concerned about his decisions.
His new Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, has been widely debated. Meanwhile, Trump’s efforts to work with Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine have raised international concerns.
