The role Jane Fonda wishes she could play again: “I didn’t dig deep enough”
All actors have regrets. Perhaps it’s that they turned down a role in a film that went on to become a smash hit and a critical sensation, or maybe it’s taking on a movie they really shouldn’t have. For Jane Fonda, one of her main acting regrets is to do with not playing a role to her full potential.
The actor, the daughter of legendary actor Henry Fonda, was born into cinematic royalty. There was no other route her career could take – even her brother, Peter, was finding success in the industry during the 1960s, proving that perhaps there was something running within the Fonda blood that made them such great stars. As far as nepotism goes, Peter and Jane established themselves as talented actors in their own right, and while the former became a countercultural star of movies like Easy Rider, Jane was trying her hand at a variety of genres, from American westerns to erotic French dramas.
Like her brother, Fonda became a symbol of the 1960s, representing an era of liberated sexuality that came with the changing attitudes of the decade. By the end of the ‘60s, she was starting to involve herself in various political and social activist movements, protesting against the Vietnam War and advocating for women’s rights. Fonda became well-known for her staunch left-wing views, which began to inform performances in movies like Klute and Tout va bien. Using her platform as an actor for good, she ensured that she used her spare time to protest while using her acting roles to tell important stories.
After the success of Klute, in which she played a call girl, Fonda became known for her feminism. She was initially hesitant to play the part, but she soon realised she could present her call girl character with complexity and depth, earning an Oscar as a result. A few years later, she was cast in A Doll’s House, directed by Joseph Losey, based on the shocking 1879 proto-feminist play by Henrik Ibsen.
Fonda played Nora Helmer, the submissive wife who is treated like an object and dominated by her horrible husband, Torvald. When the play was first performed, viewers couldn’t believe it when Nora made the powerful decision to leave Torvald at the end of the story, searching for freedom at a time when women were simply not expected to walk away from their husbands.
It remains one of the most influential and controversial plays of all time, with many critics praising it for its feminist themes and bold defiance against sexism. Fonda played the part well, although she believes that she could’ve done better.
Talking to the New York Times, Fonda once revealed that “Nora in A Doll’s House” is the character she’d like to play the most, adding, “I did play her once, but I didn’t dig deep enough”.
The actor didn’t divulge any further information about her regrets surrounding the role, but she certainly wishes that she could’ve given it a better go. Perhaps she didn’t feel as though her feminist ideas came through strongly enough – something likely affected by her clash with Losey, whom she believed to have made some questionable comments about women during production.
