Bridget Fonda, 62, was spotted on a rare public outing in Los Angeles while grabbing lunch with her assistant.
The retired actress was photographed leaving a restaurant on Wednesday wearing a striped tank top, black pants, a black crossbody bag and her hair pinned back in an updo. The sighting marks one of her few public appearances since she walked away from Hollywood more than two decades ago.
Fonda, the daughter of Peter Fonda, niece of Jane Fonda and granddaughter of Henry Fonda, built a celebrated career across the 1990s and early 2000s. She earned Golden Globe nominations for her work and starred in films including “Single White Female,” “Jackie Brown,” “Point of No Return,” “Lake Placid” and “The Godfather Part III.” Director Barbet Schroeder, who helmed “Single White Female,” once said that Fonda “acts in the great tradition of her grandfather, which is less is more.”
Her father, Peter Fonda, also spoke about his daughter’s disciplined approach to the craft. “To my father, acting was everything. It was escape; it was therapy,” he said. “Bridget isn’t like that. It’s not compulsive; it’s not out of fear. With her, it’s basically about packing in as many good films as she can, while she can. She just knows what she wants.”
Fonda has been spotted sporadically through the years, most notably in April 2025 when she and husband Danny Elfman, 71, were photographed returning to Los Angeles following a trip. The former Oingo Boingo frontman and celebrated film composer married Fonda in November 2003. The couple welcomed their son, Oliver, now 21, in 2005. That April 2025 sighting marked the first time the pair had been seen together in public in 16 years.
In the viral moment that has defined her post-Hollywood stance, Fonda was approached by a paparazzo at Los Angeles International Airport in April 2023 and asked whether she would ever return to acting. “No. I don’t think so, it’s too nice being a civilian,” she replied in footage obtained by the Daily Mail. The exchange quickly circulated online, cementing her reputation as one of Hollywood’s most contented retirees. She had previously hinted at this mindset in a 2000 interview with The New York Times, saying of fame: “Nobody on the street recognizes me, but I love that because it gives you someplace to go. You really give up your life, in a way. Your growth pattern is altered because everything you do is magnified and scrutinized. But it’s the price you pay for doing something that is so satisfying.”
Fonda’s retreat from the spotlight followed a serious car accident in February 2003, when she lost control of her vehicle on the Pacific Coast Highway and fractured two vertebrae. The injury occurred just before she was set to begin a recurring role on the legal drama “The Practice,” a part that was subsequently recast. She married Elfman later that year and ultimately stepped back from acting entirely, with her final credit being the 2002 television film “Snow Queen.”
The “Jackie Brown” star remained largely out of public view even as her husband faced legal troubles in recent years. In 2017, fellow composer Nomi Abadi accused Elfman of sexual harassment, claiming he had stripped down and masturbated in front of her from 2015 to 2016. The parties settled for $830,000, and Elfman sued Abadi for defamation last year. In 2023, a second woman anonymously sued Elfman for gender violence, negligence, sexual harassment, sexual assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress, alleging he had gotten naked in front of her several times and touched himself while she slept next to him between 1997 and 2002. His spokesperson told the Hollywood Reporter at the time, “The allegations of misconduct made against Mr. Elfman are baseless and absurd.” Fonda remained by her husband’s side throughout the proceedings.
Recent photographs have shown Fonda looking noticeably slimmer than in years past, with some outlets reporting she has lost approximately 100 pounds. She has been seen running errands around Los Angeles and Santa Monica in casual attire, sporting gray hair pulled back and minimal makeup. Despite the renewed public interest in her appearance, Fonda has given no indication that her stance on returning to acting has softened.
Elfman is scheduled to perform at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.