Jane Fonda knows how to command a room, no matter what's happening around her. The 87-year-old actress had to combat technical difficulties during her acceptance speech for the Life Achievement Award at the 2025 SAG Awards.

“What we, actors, create is empathy. Our job is to understand another human being so profoundly that we can touch their souls,” said Fonda, who was honored on Sunday night with SAG’s life achievement award. “And make no mistake, empathy is not weak or woke. By the way, woke just means you give a damn about other people.”

Woke just means you give a damn about other people,” the 87-year-old actor and activist said Sunday in her emotional speech.