5 Lines From Jane Fonda's Political SAG Speech

Woke, she says, 'just means you give a damn about other people'
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 24, 2025 5:39 AM CST
Jane Fonda Defines 'Woke' in Her SAG Speech
Jane Fonda, left, and Demi Moore arrive at the 31st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.   (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Jane Fonda received a lifetime achievement award at the Screen Actors Guild awards Sunday night, and the longtime political activist, now 87, didn't shy away from politics in her speech. Some snippets, via CNN, Variety, and USA Today:

  • She lauded actors for creating "empathy" in their work. "Make no mistake, empathy is not weak or woke. And, by the way, woke just means you give a damn about other people."

  • "A whole lot of people are going to be really hurt by what is happening, what is coming our way," she said, referring to policies of the Trump administration. "And even if they're of a different political persuasion, we need to call upon our empathy and not judge, but listen from our hearts and welcome them into our tent because we are going to need a big tent to resist successfully what's coming at us."
  • Fonda said she's a big supporter of labor unions. "And this is really important right now when workers' power is being attacked, and community is being weakened."
  • "I made my first movie in 1958. It was at the tail end of McCarthyism, when so many careers were destroyed," she said. "Today, it's helpful to remember, though, that Hollywood resisted."
  • But it wasn't all politics, as Fonda referred to her own late-career acting resurgence: "It's OK to be a late bloomer as long as you don't miss the flower show," she said. "I'm a late bloomer. This is the flower show," she added, gesturing to her statuette.
(Read about the night's big award winners.)

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