Jane Fonda Reveals Why ‘Monster-in-Law’ Was a ‘Challenging Shoot’

Friendships forged on the set of Monster-in-Law last forever.

At Vanity Fair’s Power of Women 2025 event on Oct. 29, Jane Fonda recalled the impossible task of not giggling while on the Monster-in-Law set, where she met pal 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.

The 2005 film saw Charlotte (Jennifer Lopez) get engaged to the man of her dreams, Kevin (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 (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,” Fonda said in her speech.

“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,” she added.

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.

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,” Fonda said. “She has always worked hard to open doors, and she can open [doors] for people after her.”

“Wanda stands up for the LGBTQ+ community, and everything she does, she works with incredible organizations like the Ruth Alice Center, which works to create a supportive environment and community for LGBTQ+ young people,” she continued. “And all she asks for in return is her beautiful face on the cover of Variety.”

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When Fonda handed the mic over to her friend, Sykes similarly sang her praises, exhibiting their close, hilarious bond that’s grown over the years.

Sykes shared that, recently, she tried to catch up with Fonda over dinner while she was visiting Los Angeles. Fonda replied, as Sykes recalled, “I would love that, but I’ll be in the Amazon meeting with the Indigenous people to talk about climate change.”

At that, Sykes recalled a sentiment her pastor once shared with her.

“God doesn’t send you things. He sends you people,” Sykes recalled him saying. “Yeah. So, I realized then that God sent Jane to make us all feel s—-y about ourselves. We need to be better folks.”