How Jennifer Lopez won Jane Fonda bragging rights in jail
Jane Fonda has never appeared to be concerned about public opinion and winning over the masses; instead, her natural charisma, passion, and unwavering commitment to her values are some of the few qualities that have cemented her status as an icon. Whether through the disarming intensity of her performance in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? or the global phenomena of the Jane Fonda tapes, Fonda remains, to this day, a Hollywood legend. Perhaps what has contributed towards the longevity of this status is her humility and self-awareness, which no doubt comes from her work as an activist, which firmly grounds and connects her to the wider picture.
Fonda has never been one to back down or accept defeat, and from the start of her career, she has always used her voice to advocate for those with less power and stand up for herself. After behind-the-scenes pictures were leaked from her 1966 film, The Game is Over, and published in Playboy, Fonda later sued the magazine for using the photos without her consent. Fonda also became heavily involved in the climate activism scene, as well as protesting the Iraq war and violence against women. Her assertiveness and determination to stand up for what she believed in was fairly controversial and unheard of at the time, eventually leading to her being blacklisted by the industry.
Her determination to continue using her voice is admirable, especially considering her upbringing and her father’s insistence that she would never make anything of herself, let alone be an actor. In addition to her family, a number of other people have remained unbothered by her global success and fame, most recently the prisoners that she shared a cell with after being arrested at a protest.
“They could’ve cared less who I was. They had far more important things to think about, and none of them had seen any of my movies,” Fonda began. “Jennifer Lopez, Yeah. They had seen Monster-in-Law. I pulled that card, and they were mildly impressed, but not really. They went right back and talked about what they were dealing with, which was survival issues. It was an eye-opener, I’ll tell you.”
While a working relationship with Jennifer Lopez might’ve been mildly impressive to them, Fonda’s career was ultimately the least of their concern. Many other celebrities would’ve perhaps been thrown off by this lack of recognition or star treatment, but Fonda spoke about how the experience highlighted the racial and economic disparities in the United States, putting her fame and privilege into perspective as she was reminded of the very real problems the other women in the cell were facing.
Fonda reflected on how her treatment by the police would’ve differed had she not been white and wealthy, a situation that perhaps doesn’t come too often to those with power and status. Many people in the public eye have shown that it isn’t easy to maintain a normal perspective or sense of self after being exposed to such high levels of fame that it is a conscious and continuous effort, but once again, Fonda proves herself to be a true class act.
Fonda has always used her fame for the better, perhaps as a way of giving back and balancing the scales after a life of glamour and fortune, aligning herself with causes that strive to improve the lives of those who are less fortunate, and always seeing the bigger picture.
