JANE of ALL TRADES AFTER OVER FIVE DECADES IN THE SPOTLIGHT, JANE SEYMOUR VISITS HER FORMER HOMETOWN FOR THE SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL by DELANEY WILLET
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s. Seymour requires no introduction, but in the interest of humoring you with her towering resume, the award-winning English-born actress has graced the screen (big and small) in over 150 roles, led dozens of successful entrepreneurial efforts, cultivated a remarkable collection of multimedia art shown internationally, and championed multiple philanthropic causes, including her own Open Hearts Foundation.
“My mother’s message is reflected in the foundation’s mission, and carries me through all of my endeavors. She insisted, ‘Everyone has challenges. Accept it, open your heart, and reach out. When you have purpose, love comes into your life.’ That is something by which I have always lived,” Seymour muses. Recently, she returned to Santa Barbara, a destination in which love entered her life for decades as she raised her family in the area. Seymour premiered her lead role in Ruby’s Choice, as a woman navigating dementia, at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and cannot help but revisit the joy her many years in the American Riviera brought. “The viewing was absolutely electrifying. People laughed and cried. I saw old friends, even an old husband!” she recounts with a raucous laugh. “To watch it in a room with people who actually care is a completely transformative experience. I feel like I’m going home when I go to Santa Barbara, so it was a magical place to show this film, which has become so close to my heart.” Jane arrived in Santa Barbara in its relative infancy, a small town of escape to those in Hollywood, when held against the cultural hub it’s become. “My son
52 | MAY/JUNE 2022