Jane Fonda admits infamous Vietnam War gun photo was ‘thoughtless’

Jane Fonda sparked outrage among war veterans when she was pictured sitting on an anti-aircraft gun in 1972 during the Vietnam War, earning her the nickname ‘Hanoi Jane’.

And now she’s spoken out to admit she was “thoughtless” at the time, and feels horrible every time she thinks about it. In fact, it prompted her to continue to take part in anti-war activism following the war – something she now insists has changed her life.

Speaking as part of the Television Critics Association panel for her upcoming HBO documentary Jane Fonda in Five Acts, the 80-year-old actress admitted she began as a pretty girl making movies, but, according to Page Six, she added: “When I decided to throw in my lot with the anti-war movement, everything shifted. Everything. The way I looked at the world and other people, people I was drawn to… Everything changed.”

She recalled meeting some American soldiers in Paris at the time, who shared some of their experiences with her. Until then she admitted she hadn’t even known where Vietnam was, and had very little knowledge of the fighting happening there.

“I didn’t like it that there were men in France that knew better than I did,” she said. “The coin shifted. I said, ‘I feel betrayed by this country’s leadership. We’ve been lied to, and I want to do anything I can to expose that’.”

Embarking on major campaigns against the war, she eventually jetted to Vietnam herself, however the visit came to a controversial end when a photo of her sitting atop a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun was released to the world.

She admitted she feels “horrible” every time she thinks about it now, and added: “I’m proud that I went to Vietnam when I did, but what I say in the film is true: I am just so sorry that I was thoughtless enough to sit down on that gun at that time.”

Speaking about her desire to keep making change, Jane insisted at 80-years-old she still has decades in her to make her life “deeper and wider”.

The acting legend has previously revealed her regret over the controversial photo, when her entire visit was exposed as part of  PBS documentary series The Vietnam War previously. The producers didn’t interview her at the time, keen not to give the limelight over, however she released a statement on the incident on her official website.

Revealing her side of the story, the Grace and Frankie star explained it happened on her last day in Hanoi when she enjoyed some singing with some of the soldiers.

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“I finished. Everyone was laughing and clapping, including me… someone (I don’t remember who) led me towards the gun, and I sat down, still laughing, still applauding,” she added. “It all had nothing to do with where I was sitting. I hardly even thought about where I was sitting. The cameras flashed…

“It is possible that it was a set up, that the Vietnamese had it all planned. I will never know. But if they did I can’t blame them. The buck stops here. If I was used, I allowed it to happen. It was my mistake and I have paid and continue to pay a heavy price for it…

“I have apologised numerous times for any pain I may have caused servicemen and their families because of this photograph. It was never my intention to cause harm.”

Do you remember seeing the photo of Jane Fonda at the time? What do you think of her words?