Hollywood legend Jane Fonda has wrapped up her tour of Australia with a powerful message — she’ll return, but first, she’s heading back to the US to “raise a ruckus”.
The 87-year-old Oscar-winning actress and outspoken activist captivated audiences in Sydney and Melbourne as part of the Wanderlust True North Series.
In conversation with veteran journalist Liz Hayes at ICC Sydney on Sunday night, Fonda reflected on her film career, activism, and personal journey — offering a glimpse of what’s next.
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“I’m coming back,” she said, revealing she’s already received an invitation to trek through the outback.
“I met a fantastic woman; she said she’d hiked 26 miles, so I’m gonna come back and do it and spend time with Aboriginal women.”
But as her whirlwind visit drew to a close, Fonda admitted it hadn’t been easy watching events unfold back home.
“I love Australia, but it is very hard being here and looking at what is happening in my country, my city, my state,” she said.
“I’ll just go home and raise a ruckus — it’s hard to do it when you’re not there.”
That promise to “raise a ruckus” wasn’t just rhetoric.
“There’s an oil well in Santa Barbara, California — in 2015 it leaked and spilled oil everywhere — they’re trying to start it up again, so I might chain myself to that,” Fonda said, adding that she had been meeting with Greenpeace during her trip Down Under.
At a previous event in Melbourne she gave a blistering critique of American politics.
Known for her lifelong activism, Fonda didn’t hold back, targeting President Donald Trump with an expletive-laden broadside to a largely enthusiastic crowd of over 1000 attendees.
“F**k those neoliberals and fascists and people who don’t move to love,” she said to an applauding audience.
“We have to move to love and empathy.”
Her call to action was fiery and unapologetic, as she warned that many working-class Americans would soon experience “buyer’s remorse” over their political choices.
“In the United States, 78 million people voted for Trump — not all of them MAGA,” Fonda said, explaining that many blue-collar voters had been failed by the Democratic Party.
“But people are hurting — men and women — and they’re going to realise it.”
This unwavering political voice is nothing new for Fonda.
She first stirred controversy as an activist in the 1970s for her support of the Black Panthers, the Women’s Movement, and the plight of Native Americans.
Her opposition to the Vietnam War and the US government’s involvement in it sparked huge backlash.
After a controversial trip to North Vietnam in 1972, her critics slammed her with the moniker “Hanoi Jane,” and some US politicians even called for her to be tried on charges of treason.
Asked on Sunday about the hatred directed toward her during that period, Fonda said being part of a “movement” helped her endure.
“I was not alone — I was part of a posse that had my back. I knew that what I was doing was right… you just go through it.
“And then they die or go to jail, and you’re left,” laughed Fonda, referring to some of her more fervent detractors.
“I’ll outlive all those f******.”
She has since been arrested multiple times throughout her 80s for civil disobedience during climate rallies.
“It feels so good to be arrested,” the actress joked.
Jane Fonda’s legacy is as layered as it is iconic.
The daughter of Oscar-winning actor Henry Fonda and sister to the late Peter Fonda, she’s known for roles in classics like Barefoot in the Park, Barbarella, 9 to 5, On Golden Pond, and Monster-in-Law.
Some of her most acclaimed work came in films with powerful social messages, such as They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, Klute, and Coming Home — the latter two earning her Academy Awards for Best Actress.
She’s also picked up seven Golden Globes, two BAFTAs, an Emmy for her work in the Netflix series Grace and Frankie, and nominations for both a Grammy and a Tony.
Earlier this year, she was honoured with the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, delivering a rousing speech urging empathy in politically divisive times.
From Hollywood screens to protest lines, Jane Fonda remains a powerhouse of passion, purpose, and provocation — and if her time in Australia is any indication, she’s not slowing down anytime soon.
But what’s the octogenarian most proud of?
“If your early childhood is traumatic, you put an armour around your heart,” explained Fonda, who has spoken at length about losing her mother to suicide at age 12, and her often emotionally distant relationship with her father.
“It’s hard to get rid of that armour — it takes a lot of work.
“The armour is beginning to fall away and my heart is beginning to soften — that’s what I’m proud of.”
