Joan Collins: 'Young men don't want to see 40-year-old women on-screen'

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Jerry Lewis, Joan Collins talk aging

Jerry Lewis, Joan Collins and Jane Seymour discuss what it's like to get older in the spotlight.

It’s no surprise that Hollywood covets youth and beauty.  Even the most successful of A-listers seem to phase out around the age of 40 but could that stigma ever go away?

Dame Joan Collins, 81, said she doesn’t think Hollywood will ever change its stance on aging stars.

“It doesn’t matter how much face work they have, or how young they look,” Collins said.

The "Dynasty" star said that men are the majority of movie-goers, and they want to see young actresses so casting directors simply supply the consumer’s demand.

“Young men don’t want to see 40-year-old women on stage," said the star, who was recently honored at the Friar’s Club in New York. "They want to see Scarlett Johansson, however old she is, or a very young woman. That’s the hard cold facts, and any actress has to face that."

Actress Jane Seymour, now 64 years old, told us she’s been lucky to remain relevant in Hollywood despite her age. The "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman" leading lady dismissed the idea of having plastic surgery in an attempt to look younger.

“I’m an actress, and I take my career very seriously, and it’s lovely to look as beautiful as you can but for me, I want everything to be moving," she said. “I need moving parts. I need to be able to play my own age, and if I can look younger on the red carpet, great.”

Funny man Jerry Lewis, 89, added Hollywood’s bias against aging stars is clear, and actors and actresses must embrace their age.

“Age is a wonderful, marvelous comrade when you get to it and you have to respect it,” said Lewis.