Upon receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the SAG Awards, Jane Fonda delivered a powerful speech that left everyone thinking after the applause died down.
Fonda was selected for the award as a lifelong actor, activist, and 1960s counterculture icon.
During her speech, the 87-year-old actress and activist explained that it's the actor's job to work from a place of empathy and to inspire empathy in others.
Fonda said:
"While you may hate the behavior of your character, you have to understand and empathize with the traumatized person you’re playing, right?”
"Make no mistake, empathy is not weak or 'woke.'"
Then Fonda turned heads when she pointed out:
"And by the way, 'woke' just means you give a d**n about other people."
While she didn't address him by name, this was a direct reference to President Donald Trump, as he stated earlier in the month that he planned to take over the Kennedy Center as chairman, stating that "woke" performances were ruining the artistic venue.
You can watch the full speech here:
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
Fans of Fonda were touched by her speech, especially her definition of "woke."
she's making me cry
— Loren (@LorenBarber23) February 24, 2025
Empathy is a strength, not a weakness. And caring about others is not a bad thing.
— Excel For Freelancers (@Excel4Freelance) February 24, 2025
Love her ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
— Ǟʊȶʊʍռ Ǟքօʟʟօռɨǟ ✨ (@autumnapollonia) February 25, 2025
I like that.
— Jay Durant (@durantjay37) February 24, 2025
this is so important❤️🩹
— cami🦋 (@oasisraindrops) February 24, 2025
She’s right. Empathy isn’t soft, it’s strength. If looking out for others is “woke,” maybe the real problem is how many people are still asleep.
— ChefVoxaPaws (@ChefVoxaPaws) February 24, 2025
Well with the modern suburban definition yes, but the AAVE original definition was about being socially conscious. Either way, the “woke” #they try to use as an insult is also not bad. Respect to Ms. Fonda for speaking on it!
— 優木 せつ菜 🇯🇵 | Love Live Superstar S3 SZN (@Nljigakulive) February 24, 2025
she didn’t miss a WORD pic.twitter.com/ySZuFbRugP
— SETHY 🪐 (@sethspov) February 24, 2025
Jane Fonda's words are pure gold - empathy is truly about caring for others
— James malsawm (@EmailCopyJames) February 24, 2025
this woman always an icon
— alvaro ⸆⸉ (@uracowbowlikeme) February 25, 2025
With how touched people were by Jane Fonda's speech, it's lovely to hear that Fonda is "not done yet." She even quipped that since she performed one of her most successful roles in her 80s, maybe she'll be "performing her own stunts" in her 90s.
Politically and socially speaking, there's a lot of work to do, and it's clear that Jane Fonda still wants to be a part of it.
