Jamie Lee Curtis has spoken about why she assumed her run in Hollywood might be nearing its end after her 2003 success opposite Lindsay Lohan.
For anyone who came of age in the 2000s, Freaky Friday is likely etched into memory as one of the era’s defining teen comedies.
The movie paired Curtis and Lohan as a tightly wound mum and her free-spirited daughter, whose lives get turned upside down when they mysteriously swap bodies.
It also delivered one of Curtis’ most iconic moments: rocking out onstage with Pink Slip during “Take Me Away.”
And yes — she really was playing the guitar.
The film was a major win for Curtis, adding another crowd-pleaser to an already long list of roles across decades of film and TV.
Even so, the Halloween star has admitted she feared it could mark the beginning of the end in terms of being offered work.
She explained that hitting her 40s — and feeling she didn’t fit the industry’s preferred image — left her convinced opportunities might dry up.
But speaking to Page Six, the 67-year-old said her outlook shifted once she found ways to take more control over her own projects.
“You know, until recently, I was not in charge of creating my own work,” she said during the premiere of her new film, Scarpetta, on 3 March. “I was always at the mercy of someone else hiring me.”
It wasn’t until years later that she felt she could steer her career more directly — something that came into focus around the 2018 Halloween sequel.
“[It] gave me enough of a platform to create a business where I could be my own boss,” she said.
Curtis also addressed what she sees as deeply entrenched barriers in entertainment, describing it as ‘ageist’ and a ‘misogynistic business in many ways’ — yet she’s continued to carve out new successes regardless.
“I’m a practical person,” she said. “I’ve known the industry for a very long time. My parents were in an industry where they were more famous than I will ever, ever be, and the industry rejected them at a certain point.”
Her parents, of course, were major stars: Tony Curtis of Spartacus fame, and Janet Leigh, unforgettable for Psycho — including the legendary shower scene.
More recently, Curtis has returned to the world she once believed might have been her final stop, with Freakier Friday confirmed last year.
Alongside Lohan, a number of familiar faces are set to return, including Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Stephen Tobolowsky, Lucille Soong, and Rosalind Chao.
This time, the premise keeps the identity-switch chaos, but adds a new twist: Tess and Anna don’t end up trading places with each other.
The description reads: “Years after Tess and Anna endured an identity crisis, Anna now has a daughter and a soon-to-be stepdaughter.
“As they navigate the challenges that come when two families merge, Tess and Anna discover that lightning might strike twice.”
And honestly, if the sequel lands well, it wouldn’t be surprising to see demand for a third chapter.