Jane Fonda admitted to going on a date with 90-year-old Richard Lugner, who is paying her to accompany him to the Vienna Opera Gala on Thursday. The Award-winning actress revealed she accepted the invitation from the Austrian building tycoon because Lugner offered to “pay me quite a bit of money” to attend one of Austria’s social highlights.
Fonda told a news conference with her date on Wednesday that she needs the money to pay her bills and support her grandchildren. “I support a lot of people,” she said. According to Fox News, Fonda said she was misled about the event before accepting Lugner’s invitation, telling reporters she thought it was an “opera performance” rather than a ball.
The actress, who is well-known for her environmental activism, felt “sorry” after finding that the Vienna Opera Ball was sponsored by Austrian oil and gas company OMV. “These fossil fuel companies are criminal. They’re criminals. They’re killing people. They’re killing the planet,” the “80 for Brady” star remarked. “Please try to get your opera to stop taking support from an oil company,” she added.
The 85-year-old joins the list of female celebrities who have sat next to Lugner, who is known for paying secret sums of money to famous ladies to be his ball date. Pamela Anderson, Kim Kardashian, and Elle MacPherson were among the notable guests that visited the Vienna Opera Ball with Lugner. Fonda stated that she will not be dancing at the event since she had a “fake shoulder, two fake hips, two fake knees.”
“I’m old, and I may fall apart,” she quipped. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Fonda is worth $200 million. Her money comes from her family and her extended career, according to the website. Fonda is the daughter of Henry Fonda and Frances Seymour Brokaw, a socialite.
According to The New York Times, the comedy-drama “80 for Brady” earned a higher-than-expected $12.5 million in its debut weekend, placing it second at the box office.
The “Grace and Frankie” actress recently said that she was starstruck when she first met former NFL great Tom Brady. “Tom Brady, I think he went into all of our trailers individually,” she recalled during a Q&A, according to Variety. “And when he walked into my trailer at the end, my knees gave way.”