Jane Fonda attends opera with tycoon after admitting he ‘offered to pay me quite a bit of money’

New photos show Jane Fonda attending the Vienna Opera Ball with Austrian tycoon Richard Lugner, after she revealed he was paying her to be on his arm for the evening.Fonda wore an

ivory, long sleeved dress to accompany Lugner, who wore a top hat and white scarf with his tuxedo.The actress appeared to be enjoying the performances from a box seat with Lugner

after they posed together for photos entering the event.The dress code for the ball was "evening dress," meaning floor length gowns for women and white tie and tails for men.

Richard Lugner and Jane Fonda attend the Vienna Opera Ball at the Grand Hotel in Vienna on Thursday. (Gisela Schober/Getty Images)JANE FONDA SAYS CANCER IS IN REMISSION: 'BEST

BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER!' Fonda and Lugner watch from a box seat at the Vienna Opera Ball. (Gisela Schober/Getty Images)The award-winning actress said at a news conference on

Wednesday that she accepted the Austrian building tycoon’s invitation because he offered to "pay me quite a bit of money." Fonda said she needed the money to pay her bills and

help her grandchildren, adding, "I support a lot of people."The "80 for Brady" star also acknowledged she wasn’t well-informed about the event before she accepted Lugner's

invitation, telling reporters she thought it was to an "opera performance" and not a ball.JANE FONDA SAYS HER 'KNEES GAVE WAY' WHEN SHE MET 'GORGEOUS' TOM BRADY: 'I HAD TO HOLD

ONTO SOMETHING'The Vienna Opera Ball does feature some performances but is essentially a large debutante ball for Austrian society. The tradition goes back to the early 1800s, with

heads of state and government, the political and industrial elite, members of high society, and their guests attending. Fonda poses with a debutante during the Vienna Opera Ball.

(Gisela Schober/Getty Images)Fonda, who is well known for her activism to curb climate change, said she was "sorry" to learn Austrian oil and gas company OMV sponsored the Vienna

Opera Ball."These fossil fuel companies are criminal. They’re criminal. They’re killing people. They’re killing the planet," the star remarked."Please try to get your opera

to stop taking support from an oil company," she added. Fonda agreed to be Lugner's date for "quite a bit of money." (Gisela Schober/Getty Images)CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE

ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTERFonda is not the first female celebrity to attend an event with Lugner, who’s known for paying undisclosed sums of money to famous women to be his date to

the ball. Previous notable guests of Lugner include Pamela Anderson, Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton. Kim Kardashian and Richard Lugner attend the Vienna Opera Ball in Vienna on