Jamie Lee is the mother of all ‘Scream Queens’
Jamie Lee Curtis was a movie scream queen as the star of such horror classics as Halloween (1978) and The Fog (1980). Now, she’s in Fox’s Scream Queens, playing a college dean — and sorority scourge — in the comedyhorror blend from Ryan Murphy. Curtis, 56, sat down to chat with USA TODAY about Queens and her career, which includes such acclaimed films as A Fish Called Wanda and True Lies.
Q: What’s it like being part of Scream Queens, which centers on killings at an elite, ruthless sorority?
A: I’ve looked at this as a present. Ryan (and fellow executive producers Ian Brennan and Brad Falchuk) have given me the best creative experience ... I’ve ever had. … When I read each episode, I’m so delighted by what I get to say, from a comedy standpoint and also from a sociopolitical standpoint and a feminist slant.
Q: Do you enjoy the horror genre?
A: When (something) gets scary, I close my eyes and ears and sing Au Clair de la Lune in my head. Then I say to my husband (director and actor Christopher Guest), “Let me know when.” ”
Q: Describe Dean Cathy Munsch, who forces Kappa House and leader Chanel Oberlin (Emma Roberts), to accept all pledges.
A: She is a feminist ( born in the ’50s) who has suffered the reality of what feminism really wrought, which is so beautifully outlined in The Heidi Chronicles in the speech “Women, Where are we going?” And, it’s basically how women are horrible to each other. At the end, Heidi says, “I thought the point was that we we’re all in this together.” I think Cathy is aligned with that.
Q: How did you introduce yourself to younger cast members (including Roberts, Abigail Breslin, Lea Michele, Keke Palmer and Skyler Samuels)?
A: I am maternal. So, I left them each one of those red Solo plastic cups filled with M&Ms and my business card, so they knew that they could reach me. In a TV series or a movie, it’s a very accelerated path to friendship.
Q: What do you think of getting such a great role at this point in your career?
A: Ryan has given voice to women of a certain age, that their abilities have not diminished. If anything, they’ve improved. … (At the same time), I saw both my parents (movie stars Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis) stay connected to their fame ... to the end of their lives, and I don’t want to be that person. I want to stay connected to my family to the end of my life. That’s my goal.