Just like in her career, Jane Fonda used the Golden Globes platform to talk about deeper topics that require greater diversity in Hollywood, and praised the Community of Storytellers when she presented the Cecil B. Received the DeMille Award.
Jane Fonda accepted her Cecil B.
DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award at the Golden Globe Awards for calling on Hollywood to work harder to increase diversity.
While wearing an all-white suit, Fonda raised the highest honor of the globes above her head on Sunday before commending the storytellers for her vital role in troubled times.
She said stories make us “have the empathy to realize that despite our diversity, we are all human.”
“There is a story that we were afraid to hear about ourselves in this industry.” Let us all make every effort, including the groups that decide who will be recognized, ”she said.
“Let’s all try to expand this tent so that everyone stands up so that everyone’s story can be heard. Let us lead.”
“We’re a community of storytellers, aren’t we? In turbulent, troubled times like these, storytelling has always been of the essence,” said Fonda.
The actress and social activist urged Hollywood leaders to try and expand the tent to accommodate more diverse voices. Fonda, 83, said there is another “story that we have not been able to see or hear in this industry, which voices we respect and raise and which we turn off, who gets a seat at the table and who stays out of the rooms in which decisions are made.
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Her acceptance speech received applause from Viola Davis, Glenn Close, and Andra Day, who won the best actress for her role in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday”.
Fonda was one of the few awardees to personally receive an award at the ceremony in Beverly Hills, California.
In one video package, Ted Danson called Fonda “confident and independent,” while “Captain Marvel” actor Brie Larson called her a “real-life superhero.” Kerry Washington and Laverne Cox also paid homage to the video, which featured several clips of Fonda’s activism and critically acclaimed film roles such as “Klute”, “Coming Home” and “The Electric Horseman”.
Kerry Washington, Laverne Cox, and Brie Larson were among those who paid tribute to Fonda in the intro of her speech.
The honor bestowed on entertainers such as Oprah Winfrey, Jodie Foster, Meryl Streep, and Tom Hanks pays homage to Fonda’s work in film and television. From classics like “Coming Home”, “Klute” and “9 to 5” to her current Netflix series “Grace & Frankie”, Fonda’s on-screen career has spanned more than half a century.
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler presented Fonda with the Globes version of a lifetime achievement award. Fey, who starred alongside Fonda in the 2014 film “This Is Where I Leave You,” called her a movie star who is “open, generous, and a hardworking actor.”
The DeMille Prize is awarded annually to “a person who has made an incredible impact on the world of entertainment“. Past recipients include Tom Hanks, Jeff Bridges, Oprah Winfrey, Morgan Freeman, Meryl Streep, Barbra Streisand, Sidney Poitier, and Lucille Ball.
Fonda is a member of one of America’s most respected families of actors. She is the daughter of Oscar winner Henry Fonda, who died in 1982, and the sister of Peter Fonda, who died in 2019.
“He would be very proud of me,” she said of her father from behind the stage. “I feel that he is here. I feel his spirit. ”
She was touched when she first heard that she had been selected for the award: “I shed a few tears,” she told Variety. And I was very moved. ”
Fonda made her mark off-screen by creating organizations that support women’s equality, prevent teenage pregnancies, and improve teenage health. She released a training video in 1982 and became involved in liberal political causes. For her on-screen efforts, Fonda has been nominated for five Academy Awards and won for the thriller “Klute” and the compassionate anti-war drama “Coming Home”. Her other prominent films include “The China Syndrome”, “The Electric Horseman” with Robert Redford, and “9 to 5” with Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton. She plays in the Netflix television series “Grace & Frankie”.
On her 80th birthday, Fonda raised $ 1 million for each of her nonprofits, the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential and the Women’s Media Center. She also serves on the board of directors and donated $ 1 million to Donor Direct Action, an organization that supports frontline women’s organizations to promote equality for women.
