Jane Fonda took a drive down the nostalgia boulevard, as she recalled the impossible task of not giggling while on the sets of ‘Monster-in-Law’, where she met her friend Wanda Sykes 20 years ago.
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LOS ANGELES — Veteran Hollywood actress Jane Fonda took a drive down the nostalgia boulevard, as she recalled the impossible task of not giggling while on the sets of ‘Monster-in-Law’, where she met her friend Wanda Sykes 20 years ago.
While introducing Sykes, who played Ruby, the assistant to Fonda's character, Viola, in the film, as one of this year's honorees, Fonda shed light on her and Sykes' silly behind-the-scenes moments, reports ‘People’ magazine.
The 2005 film saw Charlotte (played by Jennifer Lopez) get engaged to the man of her dreams, Kevin (played by Michael Vartan), but she soon finds the wedding planning phase is heavily taken over by her soon-to-be mother-in-law, "the monster" Viola (played by Jane Fonda).
"It was a challenging shoot, not just 'cause I had to keep slapping Jennifer Lopez, 'cause I had to keep a straight face when working with Wanda," Jane Fonda said in her speech during Vanity Fair's Power of Women 2025 event. "We both liked to improvise, so I never knew what she was going to say. And I swear, every take would get funnier and funnier”.
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During one now-iconic scene in the rom-com, Fonda and Lopez went back and forth, slapping each other after the former shows up in white to her son's wedding, leaving the 87-year-old with a real-life cut on her face.
As per ‘People’, after countless hilarious moments on set, Fonda noted that Sykes became one of her "favorite people in the whole world”, and praised her as both a skilled actress and a dedicated activist who paved the way for those coming after her.
"I've been in the business a minute now, and I've seen many people who can reach certain heights and forget all about who they are and where they came from. Wanda is not one of those. She has always worked hard to open doors, and she can open (doors) for people after her”, she added.