New Delhi, Oct. 1 -- Veteran actor and activist Jane Fonda has relaunched the Committee for the First Amendment - a movement originally founded in the 1940s by her father, Henry Fonda, during the McCarthy era to defend free speech.

The revived initiative has already drawn backing from more than 550 high-profile names across Hollywood. Among them are Pedro Pascal, Viola Davis, Natalie Portman, Kerry Washington, John Legend, Barbra Streisand, Spike Lee, Whoopi Goldberg, Sean Penn, Billie Eilish, Julianne Moore, Ethan Hawke, Ben Stiller and Judd Apatow.

According to Variety, the campaign comes at a time when concerns about censorship and political pressures on entertainers are once again in the spotlight.

In a statement, Jane Fonda said, ...