JUST in time for Women?s Month, award-winning Hollywood actress Sela Ward shares candid views on aging, acting and plastic surgery during a conference call with Southeast Asian media outfits, including the Inquirer.

Ward, who won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the ABC drama series ?Once and Again? (1999-2002), decries America?s obsession with youth.

?There are certain cultures in the world that respect age, wisdom and experience,? Ward says. ?Unfortunately, America is not one of them.?

The touchy topic crops up because Ward ended an almost 10-year hiatus from show biz with a stint in the medical drama ?House? and, now, a role in the popular forensics show ?CSI: NY (Crime Scene Investigation: New York),? aired by AXN in the region.

The TV landscape has definitely changed in the last decade?Hannah Montana and the Gossip Girls, not to mention the singing and dancing Gleeks, rule the current scene.

Ward says she has come to terms with the sad reality that the industry targets the 17 to 30 demographic. However, she remains stubbornly optimistic, in spite of the dearth of challenging roles for women of a certain age. ?I refuse to give up. Someone has to play the mothers and grandmothers.?

Although she wouldn?t give ?a little nip and tuck? the thumbs-down, she?s leery of women who ?don?t know when to stop.? In the end, she says, it?s about being ?happy with your reflection in the mirror ? [if it] matches how you feel inside.?

All in all, Ward has maintained a healthy balance between the personal and the professional. She says she has emerged from semi-retirement because her kids are grown up. ?My 16-year-old son can probably watch ?CSI: NY.? My 12-year-old daughter caught an episode and switched channels as soon as she saw a dead body.?

Perfect timing
She accepted the ?CSI? gig because it came at the right time: ?I missed working.? She admits that it can be daunting joining a show that has run for six seasons. Luckily, blending in was a breeze; cast and crew welcomed her with open arms. She reserves the highest praise for Gary Sinise. ?I was always seated next to him during awards shows, at the Emmys and the CableAce, years ago.? After each passing encounter, she would tell herself, ?I hope I can get to work with him someday.? She got her wish.

Gary?s always helpful on the set, Ward says, ?giving tips like how to put on and take off gloves.? Also supportive are the real cops who serve as consultants. ?Whenever I have a question, I can always turn to the NYPD (New York Police Department) officer and CSI forensic expert on the set.?

She also loves shooting in the Big Apple. ?I love New York. I wish we could stay there longer.? Actually, it was sort of a homecoming for Ward, who began her career as a model for the Wilhelmina Modeling Agency in New York.

Another incentive that pulled her out of quiet domesticity is her role on the show: Josephine ?Jo? Danville, ?a strong, complex investigator??a rarity for mature actresses, she notes. ?Jo is confident and adept at her job. She has a great sense of humor. At the same time she?s complicated. Her life is not picture-perfect. She?s divorced, estranged from her son, and she adopted the child of a woman she had put in jail.?

Jo?s backstory, Ward says, is ?interesting ? it?s fascinating to learn more about her. Is she lonely? Who is she, really??

?CSI: NY? season 7 premieres April 7, and will air Thursdays, at 10 p.m.