Jane Fonda Accepts Prestigious Award While Being Arrested, Proving Not All Heroes Wear Capes
Being recognized for her work isn’t new, but Jane Fonda accepting an award while being arrested is an interesting development. The legendary actress stole the show at Friday night’s British Academy Brittania Awards — and she wasn’t even in attendance. She was there in spirit, though, which she proved by giving her speech in the most unorthodox manner: being hauled off to jail.
The British Academy Brittania Awards is BAFTA’s biggest event outside of the U.K., and the awards it doles out are considered quite prestigious. This year’s ceremony was held in Beverly Hills, where Fonda was originally scheduled to be in order to accept her Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film in person. However, according to Deadline‘s Pete Hammond, the organization was informed a few weeks ago that Fonda wouldn’t be able to attend since she planned to be in Washington D.C.
And, well, for the third Friday in a row, that got her (along with other activists like Ted Danson) arrested on the Southeast lawn of the US Capitol building. So, the Brittania Awards played a taped acceptance speech for the crowd.
Folks, @Janefonda accepted the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award WHILE BEING ARRESTED. #Britannias pic.twitter.com/LDbZKTZWrs
— BAFTA Los Angeles (@BAFTALA) October 26, 2019
“I’m so honored. I can’t even believe it. I’m so grateful. It’s thrilling and I’m sorry I’m not there, but as you may have heard, I’ve been getting arrested. I decided I need to do more about climate change. And so I moved to DC for four months, trying to heighten the sense of urgency that there needs to be. This is a crisis; not just here but all over the world,” Fonda said in the video, which then cut to footage of Fonda protesting and being arrested. “Thank you, BAFTA. BAFTA, thank you for the Stanley Kubrick award for excellence in film. I’m sorry I’m not there, I’m very honored.”
Not surprisingly, Fonda’s speech was well-received by the Brittania audience, who gave her a standing ovation. And, to be honest, we think it could be her best work yet.