It’s been over 40 years since Jaclyn Smith became a household name as her character Kelly Garrett on the hit 1970s television series, Charlie’s Angels. After creating a fashion empire that recently launched its newest line Jaclyn Smith Fashions, the iconic 77-year-old actress and businesswoman spoke EXCLUSIVELY to HollywoodLife about whether she would reprise the role if she was ever given the opportunity to do so. (To note, there have been several live-action films that spawned from Charlie’s Angels TV show, which aired from 1976-1981.)
The first two Charlie’s Angels films — Charlie’s Angels and Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle — starred Drew Barrymore, 47, Cameron Diaz, 50, and Lucy Liu, 54. Jaclyn told us that she’d be down to join the cast if there were to be another installation. “Yeah, why not,” Jaclyn said to HL while discussing her latest line of apparel, which sold out on HSN shortly after its launch on January 5. “We could evolve and show our offspring and show our granddaughters,” she added.
Jaclyn credited the show, which also starred late actress Farrah Fawcett and Kate Jackson, 74, among others, with empowering women in the industry. “Before Charlie’s, there were never three women in a series as leads. If there was, they were, you know, a nurse, wife, or mother,” she told us. “I think Charlie’s made that step forward for women. It brought in some glamour. It brought in independent women and financially independent women. We helped pave the way.”
In recent years, Jaclyn said that it is her role as a grandparent to her two beloved granddaughters– Bea, 7, and Olivia Rose, 4 — that has taken center stage in her life. So, what would she say to either of them if they told their grandmother that they wanted to become an actress? “Well, I would say it’s been wonderful to me. It really has. It’s opened up so many doors for me. And I think if that’s what they wanted, and they were serious, I would encourage them,” Jaclyn told us.
“It’s not just about saying I want to be an actress, it’s about the training and what goes into that,” Jaclyn said. “Nothing’s easy. And if it’s been wonderful to me, so I would embrace it. Because when you have a passion for something, that’s the first, that’s the most important step. So, I would say, ‘Hey, I’m right behind you.’”
Over the years, however, Jaclyn said that television, in general, has changed dramatically. “Television is so different from when our show was on,” she said to HollywoodLife. “It’s just reality television. But it’s not really, you know, reality. And then there are all the cables. I don’t know how people decide what they’re going to watch. There are so many. It’s a different world. I frankly love the time Charlie’s was on. It was three networks. It was a family show. It was perfect for me.”