She’s More Than a Scream Queen. She’s a Comedian, Too!
It’s not surprising that Jamie Lee Curtis was typecast early on in her career, given that her first film role is still arguably her most famous one: Laurie Strode in John Carpenter’s Halloween. Curtis followed that iconic role with performances in such films as Prom Night, The Fog, and more Halloween sequels, all of which further cemented her status as a Scream Queen. However, a closer look at her filmography suggests a consistent desire to break from that perception and show more range.
One way in which Jamie Lee Curtis was able to flex her muscles as an actress was through comedy. It’s reductive to solely define her acting work within the horror genre because decades prior to Everything Everywhere All At Once, Curtis was already taking artistic risks, often in comedic roles. She was holding her own opposite legends like Eddie Murphy in Trading Places and John Cleese in A Fish Called Wanda. In the latter, Curtis convincingly creates her own clever spin on the femme fatale and delivers what I personally consider to be her strongest performance to date.
Then, of course, there is the 2003 version of Freaky Friday, which endeared Curtis to millennials. Not every aspect of that film holds up well today—the scenes at the Chinese restaurant are cringeworthy—but Curtis’s comedic chops shine as does her on-screen chemistry with Lindsay Lohan. Most importantly, Curtis was clearly having the time of her life. It shows in the performance and in the way she speaks fondly of her experience making it. I’m generally not a fan of the endless barrage of Hollywood sequels, but I do think returning to this role is a strong career move for Curtis. In fact, her comic chops have been just as reliable, if not more so, than her work in genre films.
Let’s Face it. She’s Hollywood Royalty.
While Curtis’ talent has certainly helped her maintain a career that has spanned decades, so has her wealth of connections. In fact, Curtis, the daughter of Hollywood leading man Tony Curtis and the original Scream Queen, leading lady from Psycho (1960), Janet Leigh, has discussed her nepo baby status in ways that have ignited discourse. On the one hand, at least she has acknowledged her privileged position. On the other hand, some feel that she hasn’t gone far enough to account for how she and others have been primed for success in the industry.
It may have taken decades before Curtis’ work was deemed award-worthy, but when she finally was on the campaign trail for Everything Everywhere All At Once, she had a built-in network that certainly gave her a leg up over the competition. That campaign was remarkably successful. Not only did Curtis prevail, notably over Angela Bassett, but her presence throughout awards season likely benefited the chances of her co-stars Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan given how much clout Curtis has. It’s not that Curtis didn’t deliver a good performance, but having a strong network for talk-show appearances, “For Your Consideration” screenings for industry voters, and other campaign events is an undeniable advantage.
Curtis has continued to leverage those connections. Anyone who follows her social media knows that she consistently posts about her own projects while also supporting the work of her peers, building good will within the industry. This strategy has worked, even for projects that didn’t necessarily make sense on paper. She won a Comedy Emmy for a dramatic role on The Bear. Additionally, she just fell short of another Oscar nomination last year for her turn in The Last Showgirl, a film that didn't exactly leave much of a lasting impression on the public.
Regardless of how you may feel about these performances, it has become clear that Jamie Lee Curtis knows how to campaign effectively. A big reason why is that she understands this industry inside and out. That’s to be expected. She was, after all, born into it.
The “Memeability” of Jamie Lee Curtis
There is no doubt that Freakier Friday was greenlit in part because of Jamie Lee Curtis’s recent comeback and her inescapable online presence. Her personality has a robust following and has definitely boosted her bankability, particularly in the last several years. Curtis has verve and passion online and in interviews that often make her go viral, even if it’s for the wrong reasons.
A good recipe for what makes something or someone “memeable” is unapologetic authenticity, and that’s precisely what sets Jamie Lee Curtis apart from other celebrities of her generation. Despite being Hollywood royalty, her brand is not classy old-fashioned glamor like her future collaborator Nicole Kidman. Instead, her persona is bold, direct, and slightly misguided. But it’s the totality of all those qualities that makes Jamie Lee Curtis hilarious, sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally.
Curtis personifies the idea that having a distinct brand is everything in Hollywood. For a while, that brand was reduced to being a Scream Queen, despite the fact that Curtis has always found opportunities to flex her acting muscles in other areas, particularly comedy. For better or for worse, she has also carried the nepo baby label with pride, and her network has served her well when it counts, especially during awards season. However, it’s her unmistakable personality that completes the package and has paved the way for the surprising career resurgence she is currently experiencing at 66 years old, four decades into her career. To quote the Oscar winner herself, “[I’m] wide open, free, and having opportunity after opportunity that I’d just never thought I’d get.”
via @samxmcgowan