Renowned actress and activist Jane Fonda received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards on February 23, 2025, held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The event, airing live on Netflix for the second year, recognized the 87-year-old actress for her six-decade career in film, television, and theater. In her acceptance speech, Fonda addressed the role of empathy in acting, the importance of unions, and the need for unity amid current challenges.

Fonda began her speech with gratitude, stating, “This means the world to me. Your enthusiasm makes it seem less like a late twilight of my life and more like a ‘Go girl, kick ass’—which is good, because I’m not done.” Reflecting on her career, Fonda noted that she considers herself a “late bloomer.” Following her retirement from acting at age 50 following her Oscar-winning role in Coming Home (1978), she returned with Monster-in-Law (2005) at age 65. She mentioned her recent success with 80 for Brady (2023), saying, “I made one of my most successful movies in my 80s.” Looking ahead, she added, “Probably in my 90s, I’ll be doing my own stunts in an action movie.”

A prominent activist, Fonda emphasized the value of unions, particularly SAG-AFTRA, in her remarks. “I’m a big believer in unions,” she said. “They have our backs. They bring us into community, and they give us power—community means power, and that’s crucial right now when workers’ power is being attacked and community is being weakened.” She tied this to the actors’ strike of 2023, which SAG-AFTRA led alongside the Writers Guild of America, securing better wages and protections against the use of artificial intelligence in the industry, noting that such collective efforts remain vital as labor rights continue to face ongoing threats.

Fonda then spoke to the craft of acting, highlighting its unique contribution. “We don’t manufacture anything tangible,” she said. “What we create is empathy. Our job is to understand another human being so profoundly that we can touch their souls. We know why they do what they do; we feel their joy and their pain.” Pointing to Sebastian Stan’s performance as a young Donald Trump in The Apprentice (2024), released last October, as an example, she noted: “While you may hate the behavior, you have to empathize with the traumatized person you’re playing.” She stressed the importance of this skill, stating, “Make no mistake, empathy is not weak or woke. And by the way, ‘woke’ just means you give a damn about other people,” a comment that prompted applause.

Turning to broader societal issues, Fonda addressed the political and environmental challenges of 2025. “A whole lot of people are going to be really hurt by what is happening, what is coming our way,” she said. While she did not explicitly name the Trump administration, sworn in a month earlier, her remarks followed reports of policy changes affecting healthcare, immigration, and climate initiatives. She also alluded to the wildfires that had disrupted Los Angeles in recent weeks, forcing some SAG Awards attendees to adjust travel plans. “Even if they’re of a different political persuasion, we need to call upon our empathy—not judge, but listen from our hearts and welcome them into our tent,” she urged. “We’re going to need a big tent to resist successfully what’s coming at us.”

Placing the moment in historical context, Fonda drew parallels to historical movements. “Have you ever watched a documentary about the civil rights movement, apartheid, or Stonewall and wondered if you’d have been brave enough to walk that bridge?” she asked. “We don’t have to wonder anymore. We are in our documentary moment. This is it, and it’s not a rehearsal.” She acknowledged a brief audio glitch during this part of her speech, quipping, “And I can conjure up voices!” before continuing.

In her closing remarks, Fonda called for collective action. “We must not isolate. We must stay in community. We must help the vulnerable. We must find ways to project an inspiring vision of the future—one that’s beckoning, welcoming, that shows there will still be love, still be beauty, and an ocean of truth for us to swim in,” she said. “Let’s make it so.” Fonda received a standing ovation for her speech.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus presented the award to Fonda, introducing her as a “ferocious” figure in both acting and activism. “She’s won two Oscars, an Emmy, seven Golden Globes, and she’s still going,” Louis-Dreyfus said. She also noted Fonda’s decades of advocacy, from Vietnam War protests to her recent “Fire Drill Fridays” climate demonstrations in Washington, D.C. Fonda became the 60th recipient of SAG-AFTRA’s Lifetime Achievement Award, joining previous honorees such as Barbra Streisand (2024), Helen Mirren (2022), and Sally Field (2019).

The ceremony marked another milestone for SAG-AFTRA, with over 4,000 members attending despite logistical challenges from the wildfires. Fonda’s speech stood out among the night’s winners, which included awards for Shōgun and Only Murders in the Building, reinforcing her enduring relevance at 87.