Jane Seymour on Harry Wild, Bond & Five Decades in Hollywood | The Sit

Jane, who are you and what do you do? I'm Jane Seymour and I'm an actress, a producer, a writer, an artist, a designer and a philanthropist and a mother and grandmother. Be honest, do you Google yourself? Yes, actually. I Googled myself the other day because a fan told me that I had done 140 different characters in my career so far. And I couldn't believe it, so I had to Google myself. What are you personally obsessed with right now? Right now, what am I obsessed with? Actually, I've been writing my memoirs, so I've been obsessed with my past and actually really doing a deep dive into that, which is something I would never normally have done. What habit are you actively trying to unlearn? I am actively trying to unlearn eating pistachios late at night. One thing you're surprisingly bad at? I am absolutely useless at anything to do with IT. If there is a computer or anything like that around, I can actually kill it from 10 paces. Have you ever lied during an interview? I have fudged the truth. I remember a while ago when I had broken up, my marriage had broken up, and I was supposed to be so happy about how happy I was. That was a lie. Have you ever sent a text and immediately regretted it? Oh yes. Yes, I have sent texts and had to figure out how to un-text it. Do you trust your instincts or logic more? I use both, but I have a pretty good instinct. What are the last three photos in your camera roll? That would be a selfie of me getting up this morning at 5 in the morning to come and do this interview, a couple of takes of that, and probably something from Vietnam because I just came back from Vietnam. Most random item in your purse right now? Probably a necklace that I was wearing on a previous show that I just shoved in there, a big orange necklace. First celeb crush? Roger Moore. Season 5 of Harry Wilde. What makes Harry so much fun to play? Harry is an amazing character. I haven't seen her on any show. This is not sort of like a copy of something that happened before. I suppose the closest would be Murder, She Wrote, but Harry is very spunky. She's never been married. She has a son who's a detective. She is willing to and happy to date whoever she finds in the pub and let go of them when she has no need for them anymore. And she's really good at solving crimes. She's humorous. She has a wonderful relationship with this young kid who doesn't want to finish school and ends up being able to help her because he's from the wrong side of the tracks and she comes from the intellectual side of the tracks. And and the plots are fantastic. The writing so good. And I'm just incredibly blessed to have this character at any time, especially in my 70s. Is she fearless or just stubborn? She is both fearless and stubborn. Yeah, she's always right. So, you know, I don't know whether that's stubborn or not. She's just right. Which part of Harry reminds you of yourself? A lot of Harry reminds me of myself. I think she has a lot of energy. She really listens to young people. I do. She uses her intuition and she is quite willing to pretend to be something she isn't so she can get information out of people. Why do audiences love Harry and Fergus together? I think people love the fact that a woman of a certain age and a young kid have this literally great love for one another. I mean, they are there together doing everything together. They're there for one another. I mean, obviously, it's not a sexual or a romantic relationship, but it's a deep kind of respect and caring for one another. And it's completely full of humor. I mean, but it's a loving relationship. I don't think we've ever seen that before. What makes this show different from other crime shows? I think Harry's different. I think the relationship with Fergus is different. I think we're using my knowledge of literature and film and history and things like that to solve crimes. And the crimes are really bizarre. I mean, they're really, really weird. Who would solve a crime faster, Harry or Sherlock Holmes? Probably Harry, because Sherlock Holmes likes to take a long time figuring it all out. I don't know, maybe neck and neck. I'm a big Sherlock Holmes fan. Hard one, that one. Reuniting with Jo Lando all these years later, did it feel like coming home? Yeah, it felt like back in the saddle, except this time we didn't have a saddle. It was really easy. You know, we know one another so well and we love playing off one another. And there's a kind of humor and a kind of chemistry that you can't buy. I mean, you either have it or you don't. And we had it and it was fabulous when we worked together on Dr. Quinn. And then probably even more fabulous than the other two movies we did after that. But this time, this role was specifically written for him. And, you know, we're an established show, but for him to come in as a pathologist was brilliant. I didn't realize what a Bond girl was. I'd seen one Bond with Ursula Andress and I certainly didn't identify with that. But I was playing a virgin and I was close to being a virgin at the time, so I was well cast. No, it was a complete surprise to me what that kind of wild ride would be. And the fact that now, at 75, people still say, oh, but you were a Bond girl. Like, yeah, when I was 20. That's a long time ago. I had no idea how much people loved Bond. And also there was always this thing about being a Bond girl. Whether it's a good thing because you're supposed to be attractive and being a Bond girl is supposed to be special. But the other side of it is that you're not necessarily supposed to be an actress. And since I came into this business wanting to be an actress rather than, you know, someone that ran three paces behind a man with a gun. It took me about 55 years to wrap my head around it. And now I appreciate it enormously. Since Wedding Crashers, I have been known to crash weddings. You know, I have friends who say, come on, there's a wedding over here. You've got to go crash it. But I did actually crash one. I can't remember where we were. I was on a film with a bunch of young actors, actresses. And they said, come on, Jane, let's crash this wedding. And we did. And but what was surprising was the bride and groom were thrilled. They said, oh, please, please, we want you to crash this wedding. So, yeah, I have crashed a wedding. You've been in a ton of projects throughout your career. Which one has stuck with you the most? Well, that's a difficult question because War and Remembrance was 32 hours long. And I worked on that for nine months. And that was very special to me because both my parents survived World War II. And that's a whole long story. So that was huge. Dr. Quinn, because I did it for seven years and my father was a doctor. And it was just a very special series to be on. And the one that I really can never forget is probably one of the great love stories of all time. Somewhere in Time with Christopher Reeve. That was magical. You've said the only thing we leave behind is the love we give. How has that shaped the way you live? Actually, my real quote is the love you shared and the difference you've made. I had a near-death experience and I realized when I was resuscitated that you literally take nothing with you. So that's it. And how did it change my life? It made me realize I wasn't going to waste a moment of my life. I live very much in the present. I appreciate being alive more than most. And I share that in common with people who've been through near-death experiences. There's no time for B.S. No time for idiots and manipulations and lying and cheating and all of that kind of stuff. I mean, you know, be in the moment. Be true to yourself. Do what you can to help others. Be loving. Be open to receiving love. And see what you can do to keep the planet alive. What would surprise 25-year-old Jane about your life today? 25-year-old Jane would have absolutely, could never conceive of where I live or what my life is like ever. I think, well, mind you, by the time I was 25, actually, I was doing quite well. So, but I never imagined it would be like this or that I would continue to work all over the world at this time in my life. That's amazing. Acting, painting, writing. Which one feels most like home? Well, they all feel like home because writing is cathartic. It's what just comes out of me from my life experience. Acting, I'm playing another character, but it's just a wonderful challenge. It's what I know how to do. It's what I love doing. I love creating characters and throwing myself into their circumstances. And painting is great because it's what I love to do for me. I don't even care if anyone likes the painting. I mean, it's great when they do and they want to buy them. I mean, that's amazing because that means that communication has passed. But I paint for me. No one hires me to do it, unless it's a commission. It's what I do. It's for me. It's my healing. What inspires your artwork? Life inspires my artwork. I paint emotionally. So it depends on the given day or where I'm at. But more often than not, I'll keep my watercolors around and I'll just paint what I see. Or throw some color together and see where it takes me. And then find an image within it with a pen and ink afterwards. Or I love to paint nature, so I'll paint flowers. I love color. Which character of yours would you trust to solve all of your problems? Well... Trust to solve all my problems? I would say somewhere between Dr. Quinn and Harry Wilde. I think Dr. Quinn has a lot of wisdom and is very healing. And I think Harry Wilde would take it on. She shouldn't be afraid to try something new and different. What's one role you would love to revisit? I think I'd love to do another great romance. Like Somewhere in Time. Something set in the past. I think that would suit me very well. Most impulsive thing you've ever done? Coming to America when my agent in England told me that he would fire me if I came. Because it was the biggest mistake of my life. What's your biggest guilty pleasure that you're willing to admit on camera? How is it guilty pleasure? Well, I suppose... Yep, I do Doomscroll. Yep, I get caught up in those reels. Even when I can hear, it's fake. I still get caught up in them. What's the biggest myth that should die already? Myth? About me? About anything. Myth. That we're all supposed to suffer in our life. What's the secret to success? I think being authentic. Being willing to work hard. And being a yes person. What's your biggest toxic trait? Worrying too much. What belief have you outgrown? The belief that youth is everything. What grounds you? Grounds me? Oh, my family ground me. Absolutely. My family. If you could only give one piece of advice ever, what would it be? I would say be true to yourself. One unpopular opinion you stand by? I wouldn't know what the unpopular opinion would be. Oh, I guess that you can't change. Because you can. One conspiracy theory you believe in? This much about all of them. What's one thing social media never shows about your life? I try not to subject my children to my social media. That's their lives. What's one rumor you want to set the record straight on? Oh, there have been some really stupid ones. When I did Dr. Quinn, it actually made the news that I had a jumbo jet flying fresh rainwater from England to wash my hair because I would only wash it in English rainwater. True. Most famous person in your phone? Would they answer if you called? Probably. Prove it. No. Most famous person in your DMs? And did you reply? What's my BM? DM. Direct message? I have no idea how to do direct message. I plead the fifth on that one. If someone really wants to find me, they know how to call me. The world needs more of what? Love and respect for others that are different. The world needs less of what? Otherism, which means hating the other. Favorite emoji? Probably the face with two hearts. What's your biggest pet peeve? I can't think of a pet peeve. Sorry. I'm searching for a pet peeve. One food you absolutely hate? Tripe. Last lie you told? I'm not very good at lying, so I don't really lie. You're granted three wishes. Go. Live long and healthy and happy. Love and be loved. And feel that I've made a difference before I'm gone. What's your first childhood memory? Having a baby sister. I'm wondering why we needed one. What's your favorite childhood memory? Having a baby sister and realizing why I needed one. One truth someone told you recently that stung, but you needed it. Being told that my rendition of my childhood was not as accurate as it really was. But they didn't know. I get misunderstood a lot. I can't really always explain things. People assume that if your father's a doctor, you're rich. But that's not necessarily the case in England. Put it that way. What's something you've never said out loud? I can't think of anything I haven't said out loud. What's the most honest thing you can say right now? I'm just eternally grateful for this moment. One word for your journey so far? It's been an unbelievably wild ride. But one I wouldn't change for the world. Because I've learned so much. And I feel I'm just beginning. I feel I'm hitting my stride right now. What do you want the viewers to know? I'd like the viewers to know not to give up. That I'm not giving up and they shouldn't either. And life is just different at different stages in your life. And enjoy it for what it is. Don't try to be something you're not. Just be the best you can be in the time that you're in. What's your rating of The Sit? So I would rate this a hundred out of a hundred. I need light. Come on. Where's the light? I need light.