In 1972 Vietnam, a photographer captured Jane Fonda sitting on an anti-aircraft gun protesting America's involvement in the Vietnam War. Once she was back in the States, she called our returning soldiers, “liars, hypocrites and pawns.” For years, she continued to be a radical outspoken leftist.
So, who better to portray President Ronald Reagan’s wife in a new film?
The liberal actress, better known as “Hanoi Jane” to those who remember her anti-war antics, is playing Nancy Reagan in a new movie called “The Butler.” Soon after the announcement, critics expressed their displeasure in the casting. One upset Navy veteran even started a Boycott Hanoi Jane Playing Nancy Reagan Facebook page, which has received over 21,000 likes. Fonda’s response to the backlash? “Get a life.” In a recent interview, she even sported a "Hanoi Jane" t-shirt while talking about the role.
To be fair, last year Fonda did ask for forgiveness in a video she taped for "Oprah's Master Class" special for her offensive behavior in Hanoi. But, her message seemed to suggest that it wasn’t so much her actions she regretted, as the misfortune that someone snapped a pic.
Fonda and Nancy Reagan may have similar hair and facial features, but that doesn’t mean the former should portray the wife of one of our most conservative presidents when she is clearly against everything for which he stood and fought.
In true liberal Hollywood fashion, “The Butler” is already receiving its fair share of Oscar buzz. Too bad for those of us who are hoping the film will “bomb.”