Light Wave

Entertainment

85-Year-Old Jane Fonda Stung By Scorching L.A. Heat As She Stumps For Strikers

By Jake Beardslee · July 29, 2023

In brief…

  • Jane Fonda made a surprise appearance at the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strike outside Netflix studios Friday.
  • Wearing a "SAG-AFTRA STRONG" shirt, Fonda gave a passionate speech advocating for fair contracts and praising striking workers.
  • The sweltering heat eventually forced the acting legend to be escorted off stage.
  • The strikers will continue their rallies through the weekend.
Jane Fonda stokes the spirits of striking workers in L.A. before succumbing to 92-degree heat.  Rob Young/Wikimedia Commons

Acting legend and human rights icon Jane Fonda made a surprise appearance at the SAG-AFTRA and WGA picketline outside Netflix studios in Los Angeles Friday, voicing her support for the striking workers seeking fair contracts. Fonda, wearing a “SAG-AFTRA STRONG” shirt, spoke passionately to the crowd.

All seemed well until the 92-degree heat forced the 85-year-old Fonda to cut her speech short at 15 minutes. Looking weak, the normally indefatigable Academy Award winner had to be helped off the stage in order to rest in a chair with her head down as a small group attended to the star.

It was only two months ago that Fonda revealed she had overcome non-Hodgkind’s lumphoma and was now cancer free.

Even so, her brief appearance at yesterday’s rally electrified the crowd, and drew sharp attention to the labor crisis facing Hollywood and other industries.

Fonda declared, “This is an inflection point for labor as a whole. These unions coming together in solidarity is historically important. Union solidarity forever.”

She went on to praise Starbucks workers, saying “In the face of unprecedented illegal union busting by Starbucks, Starbucks workers united epitomizes a new wave of modern organizing. This campaign is largely driven by young workers, most of whom are from marginalized communities who really need a contract.”

Fonda then pressed for the right of all workers to organize without fear, calling for living wages and fair treatment.

SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikers are demanding increased residuals payments for creative professionals as streaming services such as Netflix grow in popularity. The rallies are expected to continue this weekend as negotiations remain stalled.