Veteran actresses Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin recently appeared as guest speakers at a Sundance lunch hosted by Women in Film. In addition to promoting their Netflix series, "Grace and Frankie," Fonda and Tomlin also discussed the sexism in Hollywood towards female actors and film studio bosses.

Fonda revealed that early on in her career she opted to take on the common seductive roles available to women back then in order to advance her career," ABC News reports. Though she admitted to enjoying playing the seductress in many movies, Fonda said that quickly ended when she chose to become an activist for women in Hollywood upon discovering the lack of opportunity for female actors to play roles other than the seductress.

Tomlin mirrored Fonda's comments, suggesting that she was not cast in many roles because she was not considered beautiful. Thus, she opted to pave her way in Hollywood by being "useful" in other ways and showcasing her strong acting abilities, Los Angeles Times reports.

In addition to bringing awareness to Hollywood's sexism towards female actors, Fonda also shed light on the lack of gender equality in the corporate world of Hollywood.

"The studio heads are mostly men and they have to meet their bottom line," she said. "They're scared to take a chance on people who aren't like them, but there are men who have not directed multimillion-dollar films who are given those movies even though they don't have the track record. It's a matter of gender -- it's not just you don't have the experience," she revealed.

Fonda then encouraged the audience to stand up for gender equality in Hollywood and fight for change.

"We all know what we have to do. We have to not be quiet about it, we have to keep talking about it, we have to shame the studios for being so gender-biased ... Media is the face that the United States gives to the world. And if the women's part of our country isn't part of that face, then they're not getting the whole picture," Fonda said.

Related