Hollywood-born to Boulevard Immortal
Jamie Lee Curtis to leave her imprints at Chinese Theatre forecourt
While Jamie Lee Curtis will forever be immortalized as Laurie Strode, the babysitter-turnedsurvivalist from the “Halloween” films, it’s a testament to her talent that she managed to avoid being typecast.
As she once told Variety, her career has been varied and unique. “I’m an actor. I write books for children. I create websites and podcasts. I have sold yogurt that makes you poop. I’ve done Hertz commercials with O.J. Simpson. I’ve been able to do so much and I’m very lucky to be able to do what I do, in whatever form it is.”
And now Curtis will receive one of Hollywood’s highest honors when she places her hands and feet in cement outside the legendary TCL Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard on Oct. 12. The event coincides with the release of “Halloween Ends,” the “final” chapter in the saga of Michael Myers, hitting both theaters and streaming on Peacock on Oct. 14.
Though she will always be a beloved Final Girl, that’s certainly not all Curtis has proven herself capable of. Earlier this year, she disappeared into the role of Deirdre Beaubeirdra, the IRS agent who antagonizes Michelle Yeoh in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” managing to imbue a deliberately cartoonish character with real heart and complexity. It was a stirring reminder of her range, which has been on consistent display throughout her long career.
After her film debut in the 1978 “Halloween,” Curtis initially continued her Scream Queen legacy with three 1980 horror films: “The
Fog,” “Prom Night” and “Terror Train.” But she soon showed her skill with comedy in 1983’s “Trading Places” opposite Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy. And she had the horror genre to thank for the role — director John Landis cast her after she narrated his documentary about 1950s horror films “Coming Soon.”
While Curtis proved her mettle in 1980s dramas including “Dominick and Eugene” and “Perfect,” it was another comedy that would be one of her most memorable roles opposite John Cleese and Kevin Kline in “A Fish Called Wanda.”
Few actors have been able to merge physical comedy with genuine action abilities, but Curtis pulled it off effortlessly in 1994’s “True Lies,” playing the wife of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s undercover agent. Veering from goofy to sexy and clumsy to heroic, often in the same scene, it was a performance that should have earned Curtis her choice of movie roles. In 2003 she would wow us again with a brilliant, Oscar-worthy performance in “Freaky Friday” swapping bodies with daughter Lindsay Lohan.
Recent years have seen Curtis in hit movies such as 2019’s “Knives Out” and stealing scenes on TV in shows including “The New Girl” and “Scream Queens.” And of course, there has been her return to Laurie Strode and the world of “Halloween.” And while the horror genre has earned more respect over the years, Curtis has always been a fan.
“When I was first acting in movies, they were called B movies,” she told Variety last year. “The labeling was very clear: These are not high art. But you still show up and you work the same hours and the process is the same. And if you have any integrity, you go into it with the same level of commitment. And I’ve been doing that for a very long time.”
TIPSHEET
Jamie Lee Curtis imprints WHAT: her hands and feet in cement Oct. 12 WHEN:
TCL Chinese Theatre WHERE: tclchinesetheatre.com WEB: