Jane Seymour, 73, slams ageism in Hollywood: 'I don’t think there is a sell-by date for women'

Jane Seymour, 73, slammed the idea that women have a "sell-by date" as she shared her views on ageism in Hollywood.

Mar 9, 2024 - 20:57
Jane Seymour, 73, slams ageism in Hollywood: 'I don’t think there is a sell-by date for women'

Jane Seymour is rejecting the idea that there is an expiration date for women over a certain age.

The 73-year-old actress slammed ageism in Hollywood as she walked the red carpet for the premiere of her new movie "Irish Wish" in New York City on Tuesday night.

"Life does go on, and I don’t think there is a sell-by date for women unless they choose it," the "Somewhere in Time" star said.

Seymour doubled down on previous remarks that she made in which she expressed that there was a confidence and ease that comes with aging.

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"A lot of people say, ‘Don’t you wish you were younger?’ and, in a funny way, no because I’ve had so much experience, and I’ve had such a rich life and made so many friends and had so many extraordinary experiences," Seymour said. 

"My life is very full now, and hopefully I’m a little wiser than I was when I was younger," she added.

During her interview with Page Six, Seymour reflected on the ways in which she believed she had become wiser with age.

'I think I've really become my only woman," the Emmy Award winner said. "I think that was much harder at the time in society when I was growing up. It was quite different from today." 

She continued, "I think I've learned to really stand up for myself and take risks and follow through and be my own person."

Set in Ireland, "Irish Wish" also stars Lindsay Lohan, Ed Speleers, Alexander Vlahos, Ayesha Curry and Elizabeth Tan. In the Netflix fantasy romantic comedy, Seymour plays Rosemary Kelly, the mother of Lohan's character Maddie Kelly.

"When the love of her life gets engaged to her friend, Maddie puts her feelings aside to be a bridesmaid at their wedding in Ireland. Days before the wedding, Maddie makes a spontaneous wish for true love, only to wake up as the bride-to-be," a plot synopsis for the movie read.

"I was only on the movie [set] for two days, but I had a blast," Seymour told Page Six. "When you watch the movie, I’m in it quite a lot, but we shot the whole thing in two days. I keep bopping up!"

In January, Seymour addressed the topic of aging as she revealed that she was enjoying intimacy more than ever in her later years.

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In an essay the actress penned for Cosmopolitan, she shared why sex with her musician boyfriend John Zambetti, 73, is the best she has ever experienced. The "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" star revealed she was dating the musician in October.

"Sex right now is more wonderful and passionate than anything I ever remember because it is built on trust, love, and experience," Seymour wrote for the magazine's "Sex After 60" issue.

She continued, "I now know myself and my body, and John has had his own experiences in his life — it's not like when you’re younger. I suppose among younger generations, people have sex first and then say, ‘Oh, by the way, hello. How do you do?’"

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"The older I get, the more sex is built on emotional intimacy, on having shared the ups and downs of life with someone — our feelings, our joys, our sadness, our mutual passions, and desire."

The U.K. native also dispelled the idea that the desire for sex and physical intimacy stops with age.

"Your sex life doesn’t need to end at 60," Seymour wrote. "At the end of the day, everyone is looking for something that puts blood into a certain area.

She continued, "When you can figure that out, well, you’re going to be a happy camper. (And bonus: You’re not going to get pregnant, right?)"

Seymour explained that she realized intimacy "can also be self-serving" after the age of 60. "I’ve spoken with friends whose spouses have passed away and whose doctors have said, ‘Now it’s time for you to learn to be intimate with yourself,’" she recalled.  

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"Sure, loving touch changes according to what abilities you have physically as you age, but it’s certainly not something you give up just because you’re a certain age," Seymour wrote.

The former Bond girl pointed out that there is a stigma around the discussion of older individuals' sex lives and biological processes such as menopause. Seymour argued that some older people "give up" because of the stigma.

"They don’t just give up physically — they give up mentally and emotionally," she wrote. "My thinking is that life can only get better when you are open-minded, and you listen to your body and to yourself."

"The crazy thing is, right now, I feel like I’m both experienced and 16 years old," Seymour added. "I truly feel sex and intimacy is better at my age than it ever was before. I actually mean that."

The actress has been married four times. She wed theater director Michael Attenborough in 1971, and they split in 1973​. Seymour was married for one year to Geoffrey Planer ​from 1977 to 1978.

The Golden Globe Award winner tied the knot with businessman David Flynn in 1981. The two welcomed daughter Katherine, now 42, and son Sean, now 38, before going their separate ways in 1992. 

Seymour was married to actor-director James Keach from 1993 to 2015, and they share 28-year-old twins, Kristopher and John.

Prior to dating Zambetti, the Emmy Award winner was in a nine-year relationship with British film producer David Green, 74.