Bridget Fonda stepped away from Hollywood more than two decades ago, and she has spent the years since guarding her privacy alongside husband Danny Elfman.
While the Single White Female star has largely remained out of the spotlight, she was spotted on a rare outing in Los Angeles in November 2026. Fonda was seen smiling and walking with a friend outside a deli, looking casual in a gray tank top, yellow button-down shirt, black pants and white sneakers, as seen in photos published by People.
Fonda was also previously spotted outside of an L.A. children’s store in December 2025.
Keep scrolling to learn more about Fonda’s quiet life today:
Bridget Fonda’s Retirement From Acting
Fonda retired from acting in 2002, closing out a career that made her one of the most recognizable stars of the 1990s and early 2000s. A member of the famed Fonda dynasty — her father is Peter Fonda, her grandfather Henry Fonda and her aunt Jane Fonda — she headlined films including The Godfather Part III, Single White Female, Jackie Brown and Lake Placid. She earned Golden Globe nominations in 1990 and 2002.
When paparazzi asked in 2023 whether she would ever return to Hollywood, Bridget made it clear she had no interest. “I don’t think [there’s any chance],” she said in footage obtained by the Daily Mail. “It’s too nice being a civilian.”
In a rare sit-down with MovieMaker in January 2023, Bridget reflected on how her relationship with her career and public identity had shifted. “I measured myself against those who inspired me. I know there was a time when I took myself too seriously. I used to think ‘God, I’m such a goof,” she said. “Now I can have a good chuckle at my own expense. Self-flagellation is interesting for about a second.”
She also explained why she resists being categorized by outside forces. “Every day there’s something new, some external catalyst that happens to you that can take you in a new direction. I see things around me all the time that move me,” Bridget told the magazine. “Simple things. The other night I was walking and I saw this night watchman playing with a cat, but he was expressionless. I found that very sad. I also don’t like being defined because I like to feel that I’m bigger than what I can define through my inarticulate abilities.
She also opened up about her distaste for “still photo shoots.”
“I have a problem with still photo shoots. I don’t like them at all. In that moment you’re being captured and defined,” Bridget said. “In film, I don’t mind because you’re a moving target. It’s somebody else, and you’re looking in every direction, there’s so many variables about it. I don’t mind because it keeps a lot of possibility and mystery intact.”
Bridget Fonda and Danny Elfman’s Relationship
Bridget and Elfman — the former Oingo Boingo frontman who has scored The Nightmare Before Christmas, Batman and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice — exchanged vows at Los Angeles’s First Congressional Church in 2003. Two years later, they welcomed son Oliver. Bridget is also mother of two older children from a previous relationship. After Oliver’s arrival, she stepped back from the limelight, and the couple built a life together largely away from cameras.
Elfman has spoken publicly about how his wife sees his career. “You know, my wife once said to me, and she really summed it up properly, she said, ‘You’re on a high wire without a safety net every time you go out there.’ I think that’s really true,” he told The Talks in 2022. “Part of me must love the fact that there’s no net. If I f*** up, it’s really gonna be a nasty f*** up. When I’m on stage for whatever kind of show, there’s a million reasons why things could f*** up; I make my shows, it seems, as difficult as possible. And I think that must be something I’m hooked on.”
In 2020, Bridget and Elfman sold one of their Los Angeles properties for $8.75 million, per the Los Angeles Times.
Bridget Fonda’s Reclusive Life Now
In April 2025, Bridget and Elfman made their first joint public appearance in decades. The couple were spotted together outside their Los Angeles home as they organized items in their garage, as seen in photos obtained by Us at the time. Both parties looked casual for the home project, with the actress sporting dark sweatpants with a white T-shirt underneath a black peacoat. Elfman, for his part, wore all-black leisure wear with a coordinating baseball cap.
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
