Jane Fonda Shocks Fans with Bold New Project—Everything You Need to Know

Hollywood legend Jane Fonda, now 87, continues to command global attention with a one-two punch of red-carpet glamour and unapologetic activism that keeps her name surging in search results. Over the weekend, the two-time Oscar winner dazzled at the Cannes Film Festival’s 2025 Closing Ceremony, gliding down the Palais des Festivals staircase in a white, bead-encrusted Elie Saab gown that highlighted both her timeless style and ageless confidence. Photos of the caged metallic heels she paired with the look sparked hundreds of thousands of social-media impressions within hours, proving that Fonda’s fashion choices still set trends nearly six decades after Barbarella made her a style icon. Yet Cannes was only the latest stop on an itinerary that reflects the actor’s enduring commitment to social change. Earlier this month, she delivered the keynote address at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, where she urged graduates to “build community, defend democracy and protect the climate” in a speech that drew standing ovations and quickly went viral on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter). Fonda reminded students that peaceful protest remains “imperative,” calling on them to join her weekly Fire Drill Fridays climate demonstrations, which resume in Washington, D.C., this summer. In a candid sit-down with Britain’s Telegraph, syndicated widely via Yahoo Life, Fonda doubled down on her message of authenticity, insisting, “I’m not a Kardashian, okay? I prefer not to wear make-up,” while discussing aging, body image and her decision to embrace gray hair on-screen. The interview fueled a new wave of think-pieces about ageism in Hollywood and helped spike searches for her 1980s workout videos, which remain best-sellers in the fitness nostalgia niche. Behind the headlines, the Grace and Frankie star shows no sign of slowing her creative output. She recently narrated the U.S. premiere of Rufus Wainwright’s Dream Requiem at Walt Disney Concert Hall and is in pre-production on Moving On 2, the sequel to last year’s sleeper hit that paired her with long-time friend Lily Tomlin. Streaming analytics firm FlixMetrics reports that films featuring Fonda experienced a 38 percent week-over-week bump on major platforms immediately after her Cannes appearance, underscoring the “Fonda effect” on viewer engagement. Industry analysts say Fonda’s current surge of relevance is also buoyed by her transparency about health challenges. Since revealing her successful treatment for Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in late 2022, she has become an outspoken advocate for preventive screenings and equitable access to oncology care, partnering with the Cancer Support Community for a campaign launching next month. SEO data reveal that “Jane Fonda cancer update” and “Jane Fonda health 2025” are among the fastest-rising related queries, reflecting sustained public interest in her wellness journey. Marketers note that Fonda occupies a rare cultural sweet spot: Boomers see her as the fitness guru who introduced them to leg warmers; Gen X remembers her Oscar-winning turns in Klute and Coming Home; Millennials discovered her political activism; and Gen Z knows her as the wisecracking muse of Book Club and animated favorite Vienna in Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. That cross-generational appeal is why brands like L’Oréal Paris continue to spotlight her in campaigns centered on empowerment and sustainability. What keeps Fonda’s narrative compelling, however, is her refusal to rest on past laurels. In Cannes, she used red-carpet interviews to spotlight a petition demanding stricter emissions targets from G20 nations, weaving activism seamlessly into entertainment coverage. At USC, she challenged graduates to embrace civic duty over cynicism, declaring, “We’ve got just 10 years to cut our fossil-fuel use in half. That means we need every storyteller, marketer and coder engaged.” With public interest at a five-year high, search engines are flooded with queries ranging from “Jane Fonda Cannes 2025 dress designer” to “How old is Jane Fonda now?” and “Is Jane Fonda still protesting?” The answer to that last question is a resounding yes. Whether she’s inciting applause in an academic gown or sashaying in couture on the Croisette, Fonda proves that style and substance aren’t mutually exclusive—they’re mutually reinforcing. Expect her star to burn even brighter this autumn when she releases her memoir addendum, What I’ve Learned Since 80, promising fresh insights into love, climate anxiety and why she believes “the third act is the most important.” Pre-orders have already pushed the book into the top 20 on Amazon’s forthcoming releases list. For the woman who once said she’d rather be “caught trying” than coasting, the latest wave of headlines feels less like a comeback than a continuation of a narrative she’s been authoring for nearly 60 years—and the world is still turning every page.