Jane Fonda names the movie roles she’s proudest of
It’s an understatement to say that Jane Fonda has had an incredible career. Not only as an actor, Fonda has also been a vital and pioneering force in politics and acitivism, proving herself to be a brave and dedicated figure. But when it comes to her film and TV career, she revealed the roles she’s proudest of.
Fonda has so much to be proud of in her life. In the 1950s and ‘60s, Fonda rose to the top of the Hollywood food chain. Acting opposite leaders like Robert Redford, Lee Marvin, Marlo Brando and more, she was one of the most sought-after actors of the era. After starring in the titular role of the 1968 sci-fi spoof Barbarella, she became one of the most famous faces in Hollywood.
Fonda was selective, though. By the end of the 1960s, she turned down leading roles in Rosemary’s Baby and Bonnie and Clyde, only taking on projects she really cared about. At the same time, something else was stealing her attention.
For Fonda, her acting career and her activism were interlinked. “I wasn’t paid as much as my male costars. I felt very judged by how I looked, and it made me extremely uncomfortable for a long time,” she said, talking about the ways inequality affected her work. The decision to become involved in politics was simple for her, “I wanted to change my life.”
There was a moment when she wanted to quit acting altogether. “When I was about 33—and very much an activist—I decided I was going to leave the business.” She told a friend, “I think I’m going to quit Hollywood. I don’t like the parts I’m being offered, and I want to become a full-time organizer.” He said, “Don’t! Stop right there! The movement has plenty of organizers but no movie stars. You have to keep acting and to pay more attention to your career; the movement needs you to do that.”
From that moment on, Fonda’s role choices were purposeful. Immediately after this career wobble, she took on two roles that she still holds dear. When asked which projects she’s proudest of, she said, “I think Bree Daniels, in Klute.”
Klute was a darker project for Fonda as a psychological thriller in which Fonda plays a call girl being stalked. Getting caught up in a paranoid police case involving a missing person, Fonda’s role is one rife with fear. At first, the feminist activist struggled with her decision to play a sex worker, but after spending a week with real sex workers, her feminism has been inclusive of that community from then on.
Another role she’s proud of comes from her 1973 film. “Gertie Nevels, in The Dollmaker, for which I won an Emmy,” she said. Again, this was a tricky role to get into. Fonda said, “She was a hillbilly. She was as different from me as a human being can be. And I worked really hard to enter her reality. I’m very, very proud of that.”
Both roles were informed by Fonda’s feminist activism. Always bringing her morals into her career, they’re both proof of a proudly lived life and a powerful legacy.
