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Jamie Lee Curtis may be known as the Scream Queen for her starring role in the Halloween franchise, but don’t expect her to join in on the macabre festivities on Oct. 31. The actress recently shared that she’s distanced herself from anything related to the holiday and even refuses to watch her own Halloween films.
Given her over four decades of appearing in the cult classic as babysitter Laurie Strode, you’d at least expect her to reminisce on the good old days and skim over a few of the scenes in the films. But no! She has no interest in it anymore, telling People in jest during an interview at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles 2024 Gala on Saturday, Oct. 5, “No, what kind of life do you think I have?”
She’s not just watching the films, but also has no interest in dolling up her home in pumpkin heads, hanging skeletons, or other Halloween-themed decor. Others even participate in trick-or-treating regardless of their age and whether they have children or not. But at 65, Curtis is not bothered by it. Her plans are: “Nothing. Zip.”
The Freaky Friday star added that nobody comes by her house except for her neighbor who visits at “like three o’clock.” She jokingly added, “My children are old enough now that they don’t want me to decorate for them. So no, I’m just gently stepping into the darkness.” The actress has two daughters, Ruby, 28, and Annie, 37, with her screenwriter husband Christopher Guest, 76.
Passing on the torch
Curtis debuted as Laurie Strode in the John Carpenter original Halloween in 1978, which spawned 12 additional movies, with her battling Jason in 7 entries. Her most recent appearances were in a trilogy of David Gordon Green-directed sequels: 2018’s Halloween, 2021’s Halloween Kills, and 2022’s Halloween Ends, the latter being a fitting title for her fate in the franchise. The actress said she is officially done with the films and her character.
“I have retired my pumpkins. I have hung up my butcher knives. I have stepped away from the vehicle. I am bowing gently to others who are taking up the mantle.”
It’s not to say that leaving such an iconic role comes easy. The actress previously admitted in a behind-the-scenes clip for the 2022 flick that saying goodbye to her alter ego was “very tough.” Curtis became emotional as she looked back on the work process and having to say goodbye to the cast and crew
“The whole concept of a horror movie is to stimulate emotions, and the making of it does the same thing. So to have done it three times with a group of people, and knowing that I’m not going to get to do it again with that same group of people, really has been very tough for me.”
She added, “It will be difficult to say goodbye to this group of people. Thank you so much for all of it.” As for saying goodbye to Laurie Strode, Curtis said she now needs “to cut her loose and let her live in the minds and hearts of the fans that have supported her.”
Now Curtis can venture to different genres and step away from slasher flicks, or as she puts it, “I can now get to go off and do my own thing.” Good for her, though we wish that hadn’t been in the awful Borderlands movie!