While discussing Fonda’s climate activism, the star of the Grace and Frankie comedy show on the Netflix cable channel told Abramovitch that she hopes “celebrities will read this and want to come join me” because “being arrested is ‘not scary,’ and participation by other stars ‘means a lot.’”
The Hollywood Reporter writer quoted Fonda as saying: “You don’t necessarily have to get arrested, but even if you do, it’s a misdemeanor. It’s not a felony. You pay 50 bucks, and you get out.” Abramovitch then asked how Fonda was treated while spending 20 hours in jail, which happened because she has been arrested several times during her protests.
“I’m a white movie star,” she stated. “What are they gonna do? … I was treated fine. The conditions are not great, frankly, and you have to sleep on a metal slab. And I’m almost 82 years old, and I hurt.”
However, after the third arrest, “They gave me a court date in November,” she noted. “And because I was arrested again before my court date, that’s when they said: ‘Well, you’re going to have to spend the night in jail.’”
“I have to be careful not to get to a point where they’re going to keep me for 90 days because I have to begin preparing for Grace and Frankie in January — so I’m not going to get arrested every time. They give you three warnings, and so I will step away at the third warning.”
When asked why she is sharing the stage with the liberal founders of the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream company, Fonda replied: “They for decades have been very anti-military. They’ve focused on cutting Pentagon budgets and ending wars.”
