Jane Fonda left viewers concerned after she appeared ‘dazed’ and ‘confused’ while being interviewed on the red carpet at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday evening.
The acclaimed actress, 87, who is set to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the event, stopped to chat with red carpet host Lilly Singh ahead of the ceremony.
But many were left worried about the star after she appeared to stumble over her words and struggled to answer the questions during their talk.
According to Judi, Jane’s body language immediately suggested that she was ‘deliberately holding back rather than embracing the moment.’
‘Despite being an iconic actress and a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement award, her body language suggested she was deliberately holding back rather than embracing the moment,’ she said.
‘Clutching her microphone tightly with both hands, Jane seemed hesitant to speak, offering little more than a curt “I don’t know” in response to questions.
‘When the interviewer attempted to prompt her, she firmly pushed back with, “Those were your words, not mine.”‘
And while the body language expert theorized that Jane’s behavior was ‘deliberate’ at first, she noted that the Grace and Frankie alum appeared to ‘freeze up’ and went ‘blank’ as the interview went on.
‘[There were] long pauses followed each question, and at times, she appeared to glare or stare at the interviewer rather than engaging in conversation,’ she noted. ‘The tension made for a toe-curling interview.’
During the interview, Lilly asked Jane about her dress, what she liked to do when she wasn’t acting, and what advice she had for younger stars.
Jane gave short and terse responses, and at one point, snapped at the interviewer, ‘I never said that.’
Judi ultimately branded the interview as ‘one of the most uncomfortable red carpet moments of the night,’ and people all across the globe felt that way too.
X, formerly Twitter, was immediately flooded with posts about the awkward encounter.
‘Jane Fonda was in a daze,’ one person wrote.
‘Is it me or did Jane Fonda seem disoriented on the red carpet? She is always poised and well-spoken but something seemed “off” tonight,’ someone else noted.
‘Was anyone else extremely uncomfortable when Jane Fonda was being uncomfortable?’ asked another user. ‘It was so awkward and difficult to watch.’
‘The way the vibe kind of died with Jane Fonda. It was so awkward,’ read a fourth tweet.
A fifth said, ‘Is Jane Fonda OK? Swaying, slow responses, labored breathing. Scary to watch, hope she’s OK.’
‘My girl Jane Fonda was not having it. What an awkward interview,’ a different user added.
