Jane Fonda's SAG Awards Speech Reminds Us of Her Lifelong Commitment to Acting and Activism
“What we create is empathy. Our job is to understand another human being so profoundly that we can touch their souls.” -Jane Fonda
The SAG-AFTRA awards, which precede and often predict the Oscars, are a collection of awards for those exhibiting marked talent within the acting union. The awards are also often noted for their annual ‘Lifetime Achievement’ Award, which seeks to acknowledge the work of an actor who has contributed greatly to their craft throughout their entire working career. This year’s award, however, was not only given to an actor but to a woman whose passion for activism has walked hand-in-hand with her extensive credit list—and impacted the lives of people all over the world.
“We are in our documentary moment,” Jane Fonda stated in her impassioned acceptance speech as this year’s recipient, while continuing to highlight modern day issues affecting people both in her own country and abroad. Fonda’s lifelong commitment to social, environmental, and political activism—and her promise that she’s “not done”, even at the age of 87—has inspired us to look back at the acting and activism in which she has excelled for the better part of a century.
Jane Fonda began her acting career with an earnest determination to make a name for herself separate from her famous father, Henry Fonda. She gained recognition early on with credits such as Cat Ballou and Barefoot in the Park, before making the move to France to star in French-language films Klute and Tout va Bien. Around this time, however, and in spite of her own settled family life in France with a husband and daughter, Fonda found another calling. At the time, the Vietnam War had been raging for more than five years and anti-war protests in America were beginning to pick up speed. Though she worked in a career in which an actor’s personal views could often negatively affect their ability to get work, Jane Fonda felt an obligation to return home and join in the protests.
In the midst of attending rallies, making speeches, and organizing for the movement, she continued to act, starring in films such as A Doll’s House in 1973 and quickly becoming a household name. At the same time, her activist scope broadened, and she continued to work as an organizer, this time for the United Auto Workers’ strike. She even recounts a time in an interview with the Harvard Business Review when she told a fellow organizer—Ken Cockrel, a lawyer in Detroit—that she was thinking of quitting acting in favor of full-time activist work. Ken, however, advised her not to. “The movement has plenty of organizers, but no movie stars,” he reportedly said to Fonda. Fonda, inspired by the idea that her acting could improve the chances of the causes she worked for, decided to stay in Hollywood and shifted her focus to producing her own films.
Following another decade of starring roles both on the silver screen and behind the podium, in 1980 Jane Fonda executive produced and starred in the hit film 9-to-5. She was inspired by the plight of women working in office jobs at the time, so—in addition to starring in the film—Fonda made a public appearance on National Secretary Day, speaking at an event in the same wig she wore in the film. With the speech, she sought to highlight the difficulties which women faced in the office on a daily basis—and which she is still fighting against today.
Ten years after the release of 9-to-5, Fonda retired from acting. She spent her time campaigning for a variety of movements, including women’s rights, civil rights, and the environment. In the year 2000, she created the Jane Fonda Center for Adolescent Reproductive Health, raising awareness about sexual health issues in adolescents. And in 2005, she co-founded the Women’s Media Center with fellow activists Robin Morgan and Gloria Steinem in order to fight for female representation and awareness in the film and media industries.
Around this time, and after a 15-year hiatus from acting, Fonda came out of retirement and returned to the screen at the unheard-of age of 68—unheard of in the film industry, anyway. She appeared back on the scene stronger than ever, starring in rom-coms such as Monster-in-Law with Jennifer Lopez and star-studded political dramas like The Butler, in which she played the complex role of Nancy Reagan.
Even with her ever-busy career—she starred in the hit TV comedy Grace and Frankie for seven years, from 2017 to 2022—Fonda has continued to keep activism at the center of her life. Inspired by Greta Thunberg, she initiated ‘Fire Drill Fridays’ in 2019, in which crowds gather to raise awareness for the different people groups affected by climate change. “We have to behave like our house is on fire, because it is,” she told Who What Wear in a career retrospective.
Jane Fonda’s dedication to both the worlds of filmmaking and activism is an inspiration which has been recognized at a timely moment in history. And she has no intention of giving either one up anytime soon. As Fonda stated firmly at the end of her 2019 interview:
“The fight continues.”
References:
https://www.washingtonblade.com/2025/02/25/jane-fonda-takes-a-stand-at-sag-awards/
https://hbr.org/2018/03/lifes-work-an-interview-with-jane-fonda
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000404/
