Jane Fonda delivered a politically charged speech at the SAG (Screen Actors Guild) Awards whilst accepting her Life Achievement Award, taking aim at Donald Trump without directly naming him.
The 87-year-old Hollywood veteran used her platform to defend the term “woke” and call for Hollywood to “resist” the current administration.
“Empathy is not weak or woke and by the way, woke just means you give a damn about other people,” Fonda declared at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
The actress-activist’s impassioned address focused on the importance of “empathy” during what she described as a “documentary moment” in history.
Fonda was awarded a Life Achievement Award by SAG
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In her speech, Fonda made barely veiled references to Trump, describing him as a “traumatised person” whilst discussing actors who portray bullies on screen.
She referenced Sebastian Stan’s performance in The Apprentice, where he plays a young Trump.
The veteran actress spoke about how actors must use empathy to understand such characters, particularly those who had suffered parental abuse.
Drawing parallels to historical resistance, Fonda referenced her early career during the McCarthy era – where the US Senator Joseph McCarthy led an extensive campaign against alleged Communist subversion of American society.
“I made my first movie in 1958. It was at the tail end of McCarthyism, when so many careers were destroyed. Today, it’s helpful to remember, though, that Hollywood resisted,” she stated.
Fonda proudly declared herself ‘woke’ during her speech
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“Have any of you ever watched a documentary of one of the great social movements and ask yourself, would you have been brave enough to walk the bridge?” she questioned.
“We are in our documentary moment. This is it, and it’s not a rehearsal!”
The 87-year-old’s speech drew thunderous applause from the crowd but some viewers were less than impressed and shared their thoughts on social media.
Some took issue with her definition “woke,” which one argued was actually: “Hubris where no debate is allowed. If you don’t buy in to the far-left solution for all problems, you should be censored, cancelled, fired, etc. That is ‘woke’.”
Also reacting to the speech, journalist Piers Morgan argued woke was “shaming, abusing, threatening and cancelling anyone who disagrees with you, and sucking all the joy out life. That’s why everyone’s sick of it.”
Fonda has long been outspoken and taken part in activist movements
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Many other complaints also referred to Fonda as “Hanoi Jane” – a nickname she gained after her infamous visit to a North Vietnamese Army camp in 1972 in protest of the US’s war with the country, which she has since apologised for.
During the protest, the actress was pictured sitting on an anti-aircraft gun at the same time as such weapons were being used to shoot down US airmen, causing outrage at home.
“Us VN vets still remember you, Hanoi Jane…very clearly,” one wrote while another called her a: “Perfect mascot for woke.”
However, others celebrated the legendary actresses speech.
“Jane Fonda used her whole speech to speak some truth!” one wrote with copious applause emojis.
Another wrote: “Thank you Jane Fonda for telling it like it is with your SAG speech!!! You have courage and guts!!!”
