The three actors who inspire Jane Fonda: “I just am in total awe of her”
American actor and activist Jane Fonda is an undisputed icon. While starring in so many huge Hollywood movies, including Barbarella, Barefoot In The Park, 9 to 5 and more, she’s also fought tirelessly for environmental issues, gay rights and gender equality. The latter is an especially important subject for Fonda, and she has always been a vocal supporter of other women in the acting world.
As her career got started back in the early 1960s, Fonda immediately stood out as someone special. Obviously, she is an incredible actor with a magical ability to merge humour with empathy and drama. But Fonda’s outspoken attitude has made her an icon. Early in her career, the actor was a vocal opponent of the Vietnam War as she attended rallies and assemblies on the issue. Similarly, she vocally supported the Black Panthers and the fight for racial equality, stating, “Revolution is an act of love; we are the children of revolution, born to be rebels. It runs in our blood.”
In those days, her passionate, political side resulted in Fonda essentially being blacklisted by Hollywood. Daring to risk her blossoming career for the causes she cared about, the actor clawed her way back into the big time and into the hearts of her peers and the public.
Gender equality has always been incredibly close to Fonda’s heart. As part of the second wave of feminism, in the women’s movement of the 1960s and ‘70s, the actor became involved in the fight against the patriarchy. For this reason, so many female actors look up to Fonda as a leader and shining example of how to have a rich and meaningful life and career.
However, respect and admiration go both ways, as Fonda spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the actors who inspire her. She picked out three of her peers who are also outspoken activists and actors who bridge comedy and drama. Fonda said: “[I] very much admire Helen Mirren, Vanessa Redgrave and Meryl Streep.”
British actor Helen Mirren is a vocal environmentalist. Best known for her roles in Hitchcock and Gosford Park, Mirren is one of the finest drama actors of her generation. The same title goes to Vanessa Redgrave, being one of the few performers to receive ‘the triple crown of acting’ by receiving an Oscar, a Tony award and two Emmys. Fonda and Redgrave starred together in the 1977 World War Two drama Julia.
Another co-star from the movie, Meryl Streep, also gained high praise from Fonda. She said that Streep “did her first movie, Julia, with me. I’m probably one of the very first people who ever saw her onscreen.”
“I just am in total awe of her!” she adds, “she’s beyond anything one could ever imagine an actor to be.”
Beyond those three actors, Fonda is generally a great admirer of all the female actors succeeding at the moment: “There’s so much talent out there — female talent of all ages, and I just love watching them all work.”
