Jane Fonda Says ‘Woke Just Means You Give a Damn About Other People,’ Calls on Hollywood to Fight With Empathy in SAG Awards Speech

variety.com:

Rebecca Rubin Senior Film and Media Reporter Jane Fonda is urging Hollywood to fight these fraught times with empathy. “What we, actors, create is empathy.

Our job is to understand another human being so profoundly that we can touch their souls,” said Fonda, who was honored on Sunday night with SAG’s life achievement award. “And make no mistake, empathy is not weak or woke.

By the way, woke just means you give a damn about other people.” During her lively speech, Fonda made oblique references to the political environment and the Trump administration’s drive to cut federal jobs. “A whole lot of people are going to be really hurt by what is happening,” she said. “Even if they’re of a different political persuasion, we need to not judge but listen from our hearts.” Fonda also spoke to the power of unions — like SAG-AFTRA — to protect people during unsettling moments in history. “I’m a big believer in unions.

They have our backs,” she said. “They bring us into community, and they give us power. Community means power, and this is really important right now when workers’ power has been attacked and community is being weakened.” A six-decade Hollywood veteran, Fonda’s career spans film, television and theater with credits ranging from “Klute,” “Coming Home,” “9 to 5,” “Monster-In-Law,” “Grace & Frankie,” “Book Club” and “80 for Brady.” From those acclaimed works and others, the 87-year-old Fonda has won two Oscars, an Emmy and seven Golden Globes — and so many nominations — as well as life achievement awards from organizations including AFI and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Cecil B.