Seymour recalls her own #MeToo story 48 years on
Jane Seymour has said she nearly quit acting in the early 1970s after being sexually harassed by a prominent film producer.
In an interview with Playboy magazine, the Live and Let Die actress recounts the details of her own #MeToo moment, which she first spoke out about in November.
Recalling the 1972 incident, Seymour said the man invited her to his home to discuss a role.
After doing a screen test and watching it back together, Seymour said the producer told her she was perfect for the role but kept repeating “now it’s your turn to do your bit”.
Speaking on Australia’s Sunrise show, the Dr Quinn star revealed how this man, whom she described as “the most powerful man in Hollywood at the time”, said, “you know what you have to do,” before placing
his hand on her leg “way up high”, subsequently making her feel very uncomfortable.
Seymour quickly took a taxi home, but not before the producer threatened to end her acting career if she told anyone she’d been at his house. “And he had that power. I got in the cab and cried, terrified,” she told Playboy.
Afterwards, Seymour decided to return to the UK and take a break from acting. However, she was inundated with opportunities and eventually took up a role in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House.
Her career soon flourished, leading her to win an Emmy award and two Golden Globes for her performances.
“People say, ‘You’re like a phoenix’. No, I just had a strong role model in my mother,” she said. “The only reason I’ve ever told that story is that women should have a choice.”