Jane Fonda delivered a highly political speech while accepting the SAG Awards’ Life Achievement prize. Despite not directly mentioning Donald Trump, she defended ‘wokeness’ and unions.

The 87-year-old Hollywood icon, known for her involvement in liberal causes throughout her career, touched on her activism, which once led to her being dubbed ‘Hanoi Jane’ for her Vietnam War protests.

The entire time, she spoke indirectly about President Donald Trump´s new administration.

‘We are in our documentary moment,’ said Fonda. ‘This is it. And it´s not a rehearsal.’

The closest she came to mentioning Trump was when she spoke about bullies, suggesting they had been abused by their fathers.

During the speech, Fonda referenced actors who portrayed political figures, highlighting Sebastian Stan’s portrayal of a young Trump in The Apprentice.

Fonda also said that empathy ‘is not weak or woke,’ and added that ‘woke just means you give a damn about other people.’

‘A whole lot of people are going to be hurt by what´s happening, by what´s coming our way,’ said Fonda. ‘We are going to need a big tent to resist what´s coming at us.’

Jane Fonda did everything but say Donald Trump ‘s name in a highly political speech accepting the SAG Awards ‘ Life Achievement prize that defended ‘wokeness’ and unions

She even encouraged liberals to reach out to Trump voters, saying that he would ‘hurt’ them too.

‘A whole lot of people are gonna be really hurt by what is happening, what is coming our way,’ she said. 

‘And even if they are of a different political persuasion, we need to call upon our empathy and not judge, but listen from our hearts, and welcome them into our tent. Because we are gonna need a big tent to resist successfully what’s coming at us.’ 

Fonda demanded that Hollywood rise against Trump the same way they did in the 1950s against McCarthyism.

‘I made my first movie in 1958. It was at the tail end of McCarthyism, when so many careers were destroyed. Today, it’s helpful to remember, though, that Hollywood resisted.’ 

She even joked about how she’d become reliably associated with liberal protest with a nod to her earliest work.

‘Acting gave me a chance to play angry women with opinions, which, you know, is a bit of a stretch for me,’ she said. 

Fonda then asked everyone else to join her in her fight against Trump and the Republican Party.

‘Have any of you ever watched a documentary of one of the great social movements – apartheid or civil rights or Stonewall – and ask yourself, would you have been brave enough to walk the bridge? We don’t have to wonder anymore. We are in our documentary moment. This is it, and it’s not a rehearsal!’ 

In her introduction of the long-time star, Julia Louis-Dreyfus bragged about Fonda’s place on Richard Nixon’s enemies list to much applause.

Fonda began her speech remarking upon her A-list career, which didn’t follow the typical Hollywood storyline. 

‘I have had a really weird career. Totally unstrategic. I retired for 15 years and then I came back at 65 which is not usual, and then I made one of my most successful movies in my 80s. And probably in my 90s I’ll be doing my own stunts in an action movie,’ she said.

She added that she felt empowered being given the award by her union. 

‘This means the world to me. Thank you SAG AFTRA. Your enthusiasm makes this seem less like a late twilight of my life, and more like a go girl, kick a**. Which is good because I’m not done.’

She demanded that her fellow actors organize together in the age of Trump to finish off her speech. 

‘We must not isolate. We must stay in community. We must find ways to project an inspiring message of the future. There will still be love. There will still be beauty. And there will be an ocean of truth for us to swim in.’

‘Let’s make it so. Thank you for this encouragement,’ she added.

This is a developing story.