Jane Fonda Accepted A BAFTA Award While Being Arrested
In what was probably the greatest entertainment award acceptance speech of all time since Merrit Weaver at the Emmys in 2013, Hollywood icon Jane Fonda, 81, accepted BAFTA’s Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film while being arrested for a third time in Washington, D.C. at a climate change protest on Friday. We’re talking zip-ties and a D.C. beat cop probably irritated that he had to pause before stuffing Jane in a cop car so she could record her speech and everything.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has an L.A. division (BAFTA L.A.) and they threw their annual fête at the Beverly Hilton on Friday night. Jane was supposed to be there, joining Norman Lear, Phoebe Waller-Bridges, Steve Coogan, Jordan Peele, and Jackie Chan in accepting awards for being delightful in, on, and behind tv and film but couldn’t because the cops took her down in D.C. earlier that day. So she sent her thanks via a speech she taped prior to booking, according to Variety.
“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,” Fonda said in the message that played onscreen in the ballroom. “I decided I need to do more about climate change.
Folks, @Janefonda accepted the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award WHILE BEING ARRESTED. #Britannias pic.twitter.com/LDbZKTZWrs
— BAFTA Los Angeles (@BAFTALA) October 26, 2019
Jane flashed her zip-tied hands as a cop led her away.
Then, the intent of the video message quickly became clear, showing Fonda with her wrists held together with zip-tied handcuffs, yelling to the camera while being arrested with her fellow demonstrators: “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.”
Instead of everyone at the Hilton finishing their drinks and having the valet get their cars in recognition of Jane winning the whole night, they gave her a standing ovation.
Jane has explained that she’s living in our nation’s capital for four months to protest the planet slowly cooking to death because of things like the Trump-appointed head of the Environmental Protection Agency previously working as a coal industry lobbyist.
She’s vowed to protest (and get arrested) every Friday as part of her “Fire Drill Fridays” campaign to call attention to climate change. So far she’s been arrested three times! She even took Ted Danson down with her the other day!
My Charred heart explodes with adoration for adorable baby boomers getting arrested protesting the climate apocalypse. https://t.co/IYGx8PHHqn
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) October 25, 2019
Pic: Twitter