Jane Seymour’s Key Advice to Female Actors: ‘Don’t Give Up’ and ‘Don’t Pretend to Be 20 When You’re 70’

The 73-year-old actress has been working in entertainment since she was 13

Jane Seymour attends The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Gala Dec. 4, 2024.

Jane Seymour leaves pretending to her fictional characters.

The 73-year-old actress has picked up some valuable lessons during more than six decades in the entertainment industry, and was happy to share some key insights at The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Gala on Wednesday, Dec. 4.

“Don’t take it for granted. It isn’t easy,” she exclusively tells PEOPLE at The Beverly Hills Hotel.

“The balance of how you come across and how you conduct yourself is huge, sadly.”.

“But also I’ve never given up. I now have my own series again, and I’m in my 70s,” she adds.

“So I say to women, ‘Don’t give up and be authentic.’ Don’t pretend to be 20 when you’re 70. Be 70.”.

Jane Seymour attends The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Gala Dec. 4, 2024.

The Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman star also relished the opportunity to celebrate the progress of women working in entertainment today.

“It’s a great honor, and it’s wonderful because I’ve been working in entertainment since I was 13, so that’s 60 years,” she tells PEOPLE, “and to see how women are really having their moment now and telling their stories and telling stories normally wouldn’t have been told is very empowering.”

Seymour also singled out woman’s success in particular: Selena Gomez.

“I just saw Selena’s movie last night,” Seymour said of the crime musical Emilia Pérez.

“I was blown away.

They were all incredible.

There’s so many amazing young actresses… she’s being honored today for very good reason.

To cross genres and to do both is fantastic.”.

Gomez, 32, received the Equity in Entertainment Award at the event and told the star-studded crowd in her acceptance speech, “This award isn’t just for me, it’s for so many other people who don’t have voices and have been overlooked, pushed aside, and most importantly have been disrespected.”.

Selena Gomez accepts the Equity in Entertainment Award at The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Gala Dec. 4, 2024.
Selena Gomez Says ‘Young Girls Need to See Themselves’ After a Young Mother Thanked Her for Inspiring Her Daughter.

Moving forward, Seymour isn’t slowing down as she continues her career in her 70s.

The British actress will be filming a movie in England in January and is hopeful for a fifth season of her crime procedural Harry Wild. Her personal life is also flourishing as her son Johnny is set to tie the knot in 2025.

“I’m enjoying my life,” she shares. “I’ve got grandchildren, kids, an amazing extended family and there’s a lot of joy in my life right now.”.