Photograph by GREG WILLIAMS
Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis tells Hollywood Authentic about her hands-free life, her baby impression and the magic that surrounds her.
How important is a little bit of nonsense now and then to you?
I think I’ve lost my sense of nonsense. As I get closer to the end of my life, the seriousness of all that encompasses every human being’s and living creature’s daily existence and their fight to survive always seems to take precedence. I’d love a little nonsense.
What, if anything, makes you believe in magic?
I look at my life daily and see the magic that surrounds me. From the work I get to do and the people I get to do it with, to the people who call me ‘mother’, ‘wife’, ‘sister’, ‘friend’, and the look between me and my little rescue dog, magic is everywhere.
What was your last act of true cowardice?
I’m pretty brave.
What single thing do you miss most when you’re away from home?
My children are grown and have their own lives and my husband is very self-sufficient, but my little dog, Runi, and I have a very close bond and I really miss him.
Do you have any odd habits or rituals?
I’m a fairly routinised person. I have systems. I’m well organised. I’m habitual in both good and bad ways.
What is your party trick?
I can make the sound of a newborn baby that can make breastfeeding women lactate!
What is your mantra?
Teams Make Dreams.
What is your favourite smell?
I have worn Oscar de la Renta’s signature perfume since I was 19 years old. My friends always hug me and tell me that I smell like me.
What do you always carry with you?
My bandolier is the game changer that removed the need for me to carry a purse. Second would be my Bottega lanyard that carries my keys. I am a hands-free gal.
What is your guilty pleasure?
I am fond of chocolate-covered pretzels.
Who is the silliest person you know?
My husband is the funniest person I have ever met.
What would be your least favourite way to die?
Asleep or drowning.
What’s your idea of heaven?
My life is my heaven.
Award-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis made her film debut as Laurie Strode in Halloween and has revisited the role throughout her career while also impressing in movies such as Trading Places, A Fish Called Wanda, True Lies, Freaky Friday, Knives Out and last year’s Everything Everywhere All At Once – which won her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The daughter of Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, the Californian native has always embraced her standing as a ‘scream queen’ and has written a number of children’s books and a graphic novel. She can currently be seen in The Last Showgirl and has completed filming on Freakier Friday.
Photograph by GREG WILLIAMS
The Last Showgirl is out now, Freakier Friday is out 8 August
*Arguably one of the most memorable (and quotable) scenes in 1971’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is when Mr Salt mumbles, ‘It’s a lot of nonsense,’ to which Wonka replies, in a sing-song voice, ‘A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.’
