Former Bond girl, Jane Seymour takes time out to tell all to Helen Russell
She did her first nude scene at 54, got fondled by Owen Wilson, and has been voted one of the world's sexiest women. Oh, and she also paints, sculpts, designs clothing, makes handbags and runs a recording studio.
During a trip through customs recently, Jane was stopped by an immigration officer and accused of carrying a fake passport. His reason?
'He said that the date was wrong and I must be 34, not 54'
'It was very flattering,' says Jane.
Jane works hard for her looks: 'I'm up at 6.45 to do an hour's exercise, weights and pilates'. Just as I'm recoiling in alarm, she insists, 'I'm not 'Madonna-ating' - but I stay pretty healthy'.
After 40 years in the business, she's shown greater staying power than Madge herself. Jane spent much of her youth 'knocking things over' and so was sent for ballet lessons to improve her coordination. Jane took to it and turned professional at 13, moving into acting and films at 18, in Richard Attenborough's 'Oh! What a Lovely War'.
But as her career flourished, Jane's personal life wasn't such a success. After splitting from Richard Attenborough's son Michael, she had another two failed marriages, one of whom left her for another woman and revealed he'd also had affairs with numerous others.
'When it got to 14, I stopped counting,' Jane says.
In the space of 12 months she also lost her father to caner. 'I just thought 'let's get through this, as painlessly as possible for the children, and make sure that the lawyers don't make too much money.'' But her third husband had left her and their children, Sean and Katherine, financially crippled. Despite Jane's Hollywood success, she was forced to beg her agent for work, “get me anything' I said'. He got her Doctor Quinn Medicine Woman, where she met her fourth husband, director James Keach. Things were finally looking up.
Another challenge was waiting: James wanted children, and Jane was 45. After IVF and two miscarriages, she became pregnant with twins and gave birth to healthy boys –Johnny and Kris named after their new Hollywood pals Christopher Reeve and Johnny Cash. Cash reciprocated by giving James permission to make the film of his autobiography. The result, was Oscar winner, Walk the Line.
Showbusiness is fickle, she tells me,' you have to keep reminding them who you are' It sounds at times like a charmed existence, but Jane knows enough of the 'Hollywood Game' not to be complacent. Showbusiness is fickle, she tells me, and ' you have to keep reminding them who you are'. Her decision to go topless for the first time aged 54 in hit comedy The Wedding Crashers, was a carefully considered career move. Today, Jane's careful not to put all her eggs in one basket: she works hard on a children's clothing and home furnishing range, she paints and sculpts (exhibiting internationally), and helps run a recording studio at her house in Bath. All this, as well as looking after twin boys of 10.
'Having kids later does shatter you'
'But there are so many opportunities for women now that I wouldn't want my own daughter to have kids early,' says Jane. 'I want her to have career, have fun, success, before settling down.'
Jane exudes a 'can-do', positive attitude where anything is possible. 'Life is about how you deal with change', she says. If there's one thing that Jane Seymour can claim, it's resilience and the capacity to make the best of everything that's been thrown at her.
Copyright © 2006 allaboutyou.com
