Actress Jane Fonda talks social activism, links 'climate crisis' to racism
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New photos show Jane Fonda attending the Vienna Opera Ball with Austrian tycoon Richard Lugner, after she revealed he was paying her to be on his arm for the evening.
Fonda wore an ivory, long sleeved dress to accompany Lugner, who wore a top hat and white scarf with his tuxedo.
The actress appeared to be enjoying the performances from a box seat with Lugner after they posed together for photos entering the event.
The dress code for the ball was "evening dress," meaning floor length gowns for women and white tie and tails for men.
Richard Lugner and Jane Fonda attend the Vienna Opera Ball at the Grand Hotel in Vienna on Thursday. (Gisela Schober/Getty Images)
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Fonda and Lugner watch from a box seat at the Vienna Opera Ball. (Gisela Schober/Getty Images)
The award-winning actress said at a news conference on Wednesday that she accepted the Austrian building tycoon’s invitation because he offered to "pay me quite a bit of money."
Fonda said she needed the money to pay her bills and help her grandchildren, adding, "I support a lot of people."
The "80 for Brady" star also acknowledged she wasn’t well-informed about the event before she accepted Lugner's invitation, telling reporters she thought it was to an "opera performance" and not a ball.
The Vienna Opera Ball does feature some performances but is essentially a large debutante ball for Austrian society. The tradition goes back to the early 1800s, with heads of state and government, the political and industrial elite, members of high society, and their guests attending.
Fonda poses with a debutante during the Vienna Opera Ball. (Gisela Schober/Getty Images)
Fonda, who is well known for her activism to curb climate change, said she was "sorry" to learn Austrian oil and gas company OMV sponsored the Vienna Opera Ball.
"These fossil fuel companies are criminal. They’re criminal. They’re killing people. They’re killing the planet," the star remarked.
"Please try to get your opera to stop taking support from an oil company," she added.
Fonda agreed to be Lugner's date for "quite a bit of money." (Gisela Schober/Getty Images)
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Fonda is not the first female celebrity to attend an event with Lugner, who’s known for paying undisclosed sums of money to famous women to be his date to the ball.
Previous notable guests of Lugner include Pamela Anderson, Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton.
Kim Kardashian and Richard Lugner attend the Vienna Opera Ball in Vienna on Feb. 27, 2014. (Gisela Schober/Getty Images)
Paris Hilton and her host Richard Lugner chat during the Vienna Opera Ball in Vienna on Feb. 15, 2007. (Johannes Simon/Getty Images)
Fonda said her commitment would not include dancing at the ball because she has a "fake shoulder, two fake hips, two fake knees."
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"I’m old, and I may fall apart," she quipped.
Celebrity Net Worth estimates that Fonda is worth $200 million. According to the website, her money comes from her family and her extensive career.
Fox News Digital's Stephanie Giang-Paunon and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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