Jane Seymour returns to TNT's Franklin & Bash on Wednesday night in a storyline that finds her arrested for prostitution -- and kissing Heather Locklear.
Seymour plays Colleen Bash, the fun-loving mom of Peter Bash (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), who first appeared in the second season of the Sony Picture TV-produced series, now in season three.
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In Seymour's upcoming episode, titled "Good Lovin'," Colleen is arrested on prostitution charges and it's up to Peter and Jared Franklin (Breckin Meyer) to prove her methods are purely therapeutic. But when Jared's sexually demanding fling with the opposing DA renders him exhausted and useless, Peter must single-handedly confront his mother on the stand and distill her true motive.
Ahead of the episode's premiere, Seymour talked to The Hollywood Reporter about her role, playing comedy and locking lips with Locklear.
The Hollywood Reporter: What can you tell us about your storyline in this episode?
Jane Seymour: I play Colleen Bash, who is Peter Bash's mother, and the surprise is this time I need their help because I've been arrested for prostitution. It's a complete misunderstanding; [Colleen is] actually a sex surrogate. It's something [my character takes] very seriously, but you can imagine the fun they're having with that one. I'm in jail, and there are all these prostitutes with me claiming they're sex surrogates, too. Peter does not do well with that knowledge, and of course they banter among one another and tease him really badly about it. Ultimately, I find out Rachel [Lockear, who plays the new boss] hasn't had sex for six years, and so I kiss her. I really can't tell you much more about the episode without spoiling it. I haven't seen it, but they tell me it's one of the funniest ones they've ever done. It certainly is a really fun role, and I, basically as a sex surrogate, point out to my counsel -- who are my son and his partner -- that I don't have sex with all my partners. That makes it even worse, as you can imagine.
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THR: Will you be returning to the show anytime soon?
Seymour: They already asked me if I would come back if the show gets picked up [for a fourth season]. I said yes, I'd love to come back.
THR: How did you get involved with the show?
Seymour: Bill Chais [who created the show with Kevin Falls], got in touch with me the first time, and [later] he said, "we love what you're doing with this character, and the boys [Gosselaar and Meyer] liked me too." So they said, "we need to get you back and find something fun for you to do." I got a phone call before my agent even heard about it. "How do you feel about becoming a sex surrogate and kissing Heather Locklear?" That’s how it started. And the script was really funny.
THR: It sounds like you have a fun time with the cast and crew.
Seymour: It's a lot of fun. The boys are amazing together, and the banter is hysterical. It's very well-written, and quite often, they let me improvise a little bit. We get along really well, and I've become friends with the whole crowd. Usually, they shoot one day a week in Malibu, near my house, and sometimes I just go over there and hang as a friend. They are really nice guys, and the writers are really good. It's a really fun crew to be around.
THR: What do you think Heather Locklear [who joined the show this season] brings to the series?
Seymour: I haven't seen the series with her in it, but just from the episode I was in, she does add a whole new angle to the show, which is great. It's something fresh and new and different.
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THR: You're probably best known for your more dramatic roles, but it seems like you've been getting more roles in the comedy arena lately.
Seymour: I love it. After Wedding Crashers, people looked at me as a brand new actress. I've done an enormous amount of comedy since then; I have a sort of natural affinity for it. I did a pilot with Kelly Preston this year that was very funny [Keep Kalm and Karey On, which was in contention at ABC for the 2013-14 season but didn't go forward]. Playing outrageous comedy is something I really enjoy.
THR: What else are you working on?
Seymour: I have a feature coming out in August, Austenland [with Keri Russell], and I have the American Girl movie [An American Girl: Saige Paints the Sky] out on DVD on July 2 and airing on NBC on July 13.
Franklin & Bash airs at 9 p.m. on Wednesdays on TNT.
