With her quick wit, girl-next-door vibe, and a last name that screams "Hollywood legacy,"
big-screen glory seemed a certainty for Bridget Fonda.
And from the late '80s into the '90s, Fonda's career was the very definition of glorious.
Then... she disappeared.
Since 2002, Fonda hasn't appeared in a single film or TV show.
If you're among the many fans wondering where she went, don't worry: we dug up a few answers
for you.
Too much, too soon
Fonda's family name all but demanded a big-screen breakthrough, and Fonda definitely made the
most of her time in the spotlight.
Between 1987 and 1998, she consistently made three to four films a year—more than 30
in all.
With that sort of workload it's easy to imagine that Fonda simply burned out.
And who could blame her?
Fonda was basically working nonstop for 11 straight years.
We can only imagine the effect it had on her.
The 'it girl' problem
With roles in the hit thriller Single White Female and the acclaimed Cameron Crowe dramedy
Singles—plus cameos in films like 1992's Army Of Darkness—it looked like there was
no genre she couldn't handle.
And she could draw solid box-office numbers too—Single White Female alone made nearly
$50 million upon release.
With that sort of success, Fonda's "it girl" status was unavoidable.
While Fonda continued to work steadily in the years that followed, her momentum slowed
during the late '90s—and as many other stars can attest, once your career cools off, it's
hard to heat it up again.
Monkeybone
The crowded schedule Fonda maintained at her peak may actually help explain some of her
more questionable career choices—none of which proved quite as questionable as 2001's
Monkeybone.
Pitched as a madcap action/animation/comedy mashup, it probably sounded like a risk worth
taking for Fonda; unfortunately, it proved to be three things that Hollywood just won't
tolerate—expensive, difficult to market, and almost unwatchable.
Monkeybone tanked at the box office, and although she wasn't blamed for its poor performance,
it remains one of Fonda's last few big-screen efforts to date.
TV didn't pan out
Television producers pursued Fonda for years—in fact, she actually turned down the lead role
on Ally McBeal in 1999 so she could focus on making movies.
It's tough to second guess that decision—Ally McBeal ended quietly after five seasons, and
didn't exactly set its lead, Calista Flockhart, on the path to film stardom.
But Fonda's own television efforts didn't really pan out, either.
She took a supporting role in the Chris Isaak Show, and appeared in the TV movies No Ordinary
Baby and Snow Queen.
The latter release premiered in December of 2002, and Fonda hasn't appeared in a film
or television project since.
Family shadow
We can't imagine it was an easy decision for Fonda to walk away from acting.
After all, when your father is legendary actor Peter Fonda, your grandfather is legendary
actor Henry Fonda, and your aunt is legendary actor Jane Fonda, a career in Hollywood might
seem like more of a birthright than a career choice.
But legacies also come with expectations, and when your family has as many heavy hitters
as the Fonda clan, those expectations are essentially tripled.
Though Bridget undeniably had a solid career, it was hardly the stuff of legend—and sometimes
it's tough to break out of your family shadow.
Married life
The vagaries of Hollywood aside, Fonda had another personal reason to stop looking for
roles: her relationship with composer Danny Elfman.
Shortly after a 2003 car crash left Fonda with a fractured vertebrae, the actress announced
her engagement to the former Oingo Boingo frontman.
After they married in 2003, she spent time helping him raise his children from a previous
relationship, and the pair welcomed their own son, Oliver, in 2005.
Fonda has maintained a low profile since.
Never too late
Who's to say that Bridget Fonda won't find her way back to the red carpet one day?
Hollywood loves a good comeback, and for proof, look no further than Bridget's own father.
Peter Fonda spent the better part of the '70s, '80s, and '90s toiling away in B-movies.
He didn't break back into Hollywood's good graces until his Oscar-nominated turn in 1997's
Ulee's Gold.
In this new golden age of television, we'd like to think Bridget's road back would be
a little easier, and a challenging supporting role on a great Netflix or Amazon series might
be just the ticket to get her back in front of cameras.
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