Jamie Lee Curtis on Finding Purpose and Reimagining Her Future in Hollywood

Summary

Podcast Summary: Jamie Lee Curtis on Finding Purpose and Reimagining Her Future in Hollywood

Podcast: Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist (Sunday TODAY)
Date: December 7, 2025
Guest: Jamie Lee Curtis
Host: Willie Geist

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Overview

In this episode, Willie Geist sits down with actress and newly-minted producer Jamie Lee Curtis for a candid, lively conversation about her late-career “hot streak,” finding purpose beyond fame, and her latest project, Ella McKay. The discussion weaves through family legacy, reinvention in Hollywood, the highs and lows of fame, and the profound power of believing in yourself amid change.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Family Legacy, Identity, and Motivation (03:12 – 11:44)

• Famous Parents & Personal Identity:
  Jamie Lee opens up about living in the shadows of her iconic parents, Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, and how that shaped her understanding of self-worth and motivation.

• The Importance of Being Seen:
  Jamie recounts how, as an undistinguished teenager, novelist Gwen Davis recognized her intelligence and kindness, making her feel truly “seen” for the first time.

  • "She was the only person in my life who ever looked at me and said, 'I see you, Jamie... You're clever, you're funny, you're really observant and aware of everything.'" (06:10 – 07:19, Jamie Lee Curtis)

• Contrast with Parents' Experience:
  She describes how her parents, once movie stars, suffered as work faded, emphasizing how the transience of fame can be painful and warning against letting it define you.

  • "Actors don't self-retire... they just become redundant. They just become irrelevant." (09:54 – 10:08, Jamie Lee Curtis)

Reinvention, Production, and Carving a New Path (11:44 – 21:51)

• Embracing Aging and Letting Go of Vanity:
  Jamie credits her ongoing success to rejecting vanity and embracing her age, unlike her parents, whose identities were anchored in their beauty.

  • "I won an Oscar in a part where vanity was gone. There wasn't a mirror in sight." (13:25 – 13:30, Jamie Lee Curtis)

• Stepping into Producing & Creating Opportunity:
  She shares how she took the initiative to start Comet Pictures, leveraging a “vanity deal” for Halloween sequels with Jason Blum and making it meaningful with ambitious projects (The Lost Bus, Kay Scarpetta series).

  • "I put myself in the path of it. I literally stepped in front of Jason Blum..." (15:13 – 15:17, Jamie Lee Curtis)

• Origin of 'Comet Pictures':
  A charming story about naming her company after a magazine clipping during True Lies filming with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Critical Acclaim and Recent Work (21:51 – 29:19)

• On Winning the Oscar and Emmy:

  • Jamie reflects on her recent awards (“it’s not mine, it’s team effort”), her un-precious approach, and how she decorates her trophies with personal items for fun and meaning.
    • "Oscar has a googly eye ... I also degendered them. So it’s a ‘they/them’ pin on it." (26:13 – 26:40, Jamie Lee Curtis)
  • Portraying Donna in The Bear:
    Jamie describes the whirlwind, high-intensity experience of shooting the Christmas episode—walking into a set of strangers and instant chaos.
    • "It was like a grenade is rolling into the room... it's a beautiful dance. It's a yummy soup, but it's intense." (24:14 – 24:42, Jamie Lee Curtis)

• On Her Current Personal and Creative Life:

  • Jamie expresses deep satisfaction with her life balance: family, writing books, charity, and sobriety.
    • "I'm so happy it's happening now. Like at my age. I'm excited about the future. I have opportunities. I'm still hustling. I love a good hustle." (29:00 – 29:19, Jamie Lee Curtis)
  • The impact of watching her parents "drive away" from their careers—and her determination to keep moving forward, not dwelling on the rear-view mirror.

Looking Forward: Producing, Writing, and Staying Purposeful (32:06 – 35:17)

• Future Projects:
  Jamie shares excitement for upcoming production work (developing TV series she won’t act in), another children’s book, and philanthropic plans.
• Serendipity in Hollywood:
  She giddily recounts receiving direct offers, including John Cleese and especially James L. Brooks, who wrote her role as Aunt Helen in Ella McKay specifically for her.
  • "I've worked on this script forever. We shoot in the fall. I’d love you to be Helen. I direct much better than I handwrite. – Jim" (36:21, Jamie Lee Curtis reading Brooks’ letter)

Ella McKay and the Magic of Jim Brooks (35:17 – 41:53)

• About the Film & Role:
  Jamie describes Ella McKay as a heartwarming, family-centered political drama about an idealist (Emma Mackey) and the supporting love of her Aunt Helen (Jamie’s role).
  • "It's a movie about an idealistic young politician who really believes in the power of public service, helping people." (36:56 – 37:19, Jamie Lee Curtis)
• Brooks’ Brilliant Writing:
  She emphasizes Jim Brooks’ genius for poetic, grounded scripts that celebrate flawed, complex people—a dream come true to be invited into his world.
  • "He has a way of distilling what's happening into poetry that then you film and you feel... It's just a very singular Jim Brooks experience." (41:12, Jamie Lee Curtis)
• Star-Studded Cast:
  The film includes Woody Harrelson, Julie Kavner, Albert Brooks, and more, released Dec 12, 2025.

Finding Joy and Humor in the Journey (41:53 – End)

• A Deeply Appreciated Moment:
  Jamie admits to being “pinch me” grateful for her current chapter, carrying mementos close, and feeling “perfectly” situated for what’s next.
• Warm Closing Banter:
  Jamie jokes about Jon Meacham “joining” her marriage and affirms the fun, open-hearted approach she brings to her life and career.
  • "There's room in my marriage for Jon Meacham... I'm a big enough woman that I can accept Jon Meacham into my marriage." (42:36 – 42:55, Jamie Lee Curtis)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Self-Motivation:
  “Every human wakes up and looks in the mirror every morning... Nobody wakes up with people looking in the mirror with you going, ‘You can do it, Willie.’” (03:32 – 03:42, Jamie Lee Curtis)

• On Aging in Hollywood:
  "I have embraced [aging] fully, and I think that may be the secret key. I don’t give a—ultimately." (13:03 – 13:25, Jamie Lee Curtis)

• On Creativity and Hustle:
  “I'm excited about the future. I have opportunities now. I’m still putting myself in the path. I still hustle. I love a good hustle." (29:00 – 29:19, Jamie Lee Curtis)

• On Receiving Jim Brooks’ Letter:
  “The letter says, ‘Dear Jamie Lee, I’ve worked on this script forever. We shoot in the fall. I’d love you to be Helen. I direct much better than I handwrite. Jim.’” (36:21, Jamie Lee Curtis)

• On Purpose:
  “I'm trying to make sure that I check my boxes off before I go. But I'm having a really good time." (30:33 – 30:49, Jamie Lee Curtis)

• On Family, Fame, and Letting Go:
  “If you're in a car in a rearview mirror and you're looking at what you used to do and you're driving away and you aren't able to do it anymore... It had an impact on me.” (29:36 – 29:57, Jamie Lee Curtis)

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Key Timestamps

• 03:12: Jamie Lee reflects on her parents and feeling “seen” for the first time
• 06:06 – 07:19: Gwen Davis’s encouragement and its lifelong impact
• 10:08 – 11:44: The pain of fading fame and her parents’ decline
• 13:25 – 13:47: Rejecting vanity, embracing age
• 15:13: Starting Comet Pictures (“I put myself in the path of it.”)
• 21:51: Discussion of The Bear, Oscar, and Emmy experiences
• 26:13 – 26:40: Jamie’s playful attitude toward her awards
• 29:00: Jamie’s gratitude and balance in life
• 36:21: The Jim Brooks letter and her excitement
• 37:19 – 39:14: Ella McKay’s plot and message
• 41:12: On Jim Brooks’ writing and what makes it magic
• 42:36 – 42:55: Jon Meacham “joining” the marriage (humorous closing)

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Tone and Style

The conversation is open, intimate, and peppered with Jamie Lee Curtis’s characteristic wit, self-awareness, and warmth. She is candid about insecurities, transitions, and the work behind her current success—empowering listeners with her zest for life and defiance of Hollywood stereotypes.

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For listeners seeking inspiration, insights into Hollywood reinvention, and the joy of creative purpose at any age, this episode is a must.

Transcript

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[Willie Geist]

Hey guys, Willie Geist here with another episode of the Sunday Sit down podcast. My thanks as always for clicking and listening along. Got a really fun one for you today with the one and only Jamie Lee Curtis. We can call her Academy Award winner after she won the Oscar a few years ago for her performance in Everything Everywhere all at Once. She's also now an Emmy winner for her performance in the hit show the Bear. How to set up this interview? We're all over the place in the best way. So Jamie and I sat down, we caught up for a while. Things you need to know as we start our conversation. We were talking about how she, of course, comes from very, very famous parents, the Hollywood actors Janet Leigh from Psycho and Tony Curtis. So she was talking about how oftentimes people would ask immediately about her parents. My father, Bill Geist, was a longtime correspondent at C. Yes. So we were talking about how every once in a while people will come up and just ask about your parents, which is kind of cool. We also have a mutual friend, the great historian John Meacham, who was a professor at Vanderbilt University and a big fan of Jamie Lee's husband, the great Christopher Guest. Why am I telling you all this? Because I think as we start the interview, it's important for you to know, to know these details. Just a great conversation about ostensibly her new movie, Ella McKay. She plays Aunt Helen in this movie. She'll talk about that. But before we even get to the movie, we talk about her life and her career and this incredible hot streak that she's on right now. She started when she was 19 years old. Her first movie was Halloween. And just a couple of years ago, they did the last Halloween, Halloween Ends. It was something in her life for 40 some years. Everything she's done up until now and just having this moment at this point in her life, in her career, with that Oscar, with that Emmy, all the good things coming her way and so well deserved. She is a force of nature, as you will hear in this interview. So just sit back, relax, and enjoy Jamie Lee Curtis on the Sunday Sit Down Podcast. Jamie, I feel like you and I have already done an entire interview. We've covered all the important stuff. The American Revolution.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

John Meacham.

[Willie Geist]

John Meacham.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

His love for my husband. Your love for my husband.

[Willie Geist]

Yes. Mutual. Also, the feeling that we share of being. Having people look over our shoulder for someone else, for someone else.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Our parents very much our parents get.

[Willie Geist]

That we've bonded over these important topics.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

And yet at the same time.

And I'm sure you feel this way, we all wake up, every human wakes up and looks in the mirror every morning. And.

We are our own cheerleaders. We are our own motivators. We are like, nobody wakes up with people looking in the mirror with you going, like, you can do it, Willy. You've got an. You know, it's like the character in Ella McKay, which is the movie I'm here to talk about. But ultimately, her. Her giving Ella, Aunt Helen being that person saying, I really believe in you. I'm sure you had people say that to you.

[Willie Geist]

Oh, absolutely.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

But at the same time, you have to wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and understand.

You hold the key to your future. You have to put yourself in the path of your future. It's not gonna come find you just by sitting on your phone.

[Willie Geist]

And sometimes an Aunt Helen, whoever that is in your life, though, can give you the courage to step into that path if you had doubts about it.

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Or have more than anything.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Did you have someone like that?

[Willie Geist]

Sure.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

No, but like a specific person who really.

[Willie Geist]

Well, I would say professionally, yes. People who said, you can go, I was a producer before I was ever on the air.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Oh, that's interesting.

[Willie Geist]

And there were people who said, you should go out there and host the show tomorrow morning. And I said, what are you talking about? I'm not. This is who I am. They go, no. I think you could also be that sometimes it takes someone else maybe telling you that to go and give it a shot. Even if you had it in the Back of your mind. And then there are always people, family members, who say, you should go do that. My wife is. I mean, it's an obvious answer, but go for it. Go do that. You know, that kind of cheerleading and support and courage, don't you find in your relationships?

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

I did not have. I mean, my people were all nice to me, but there was nothing. There wasn't any sense of that, but I did. There was a friend of my mother's who was a novelist.

Lived quite a long time. I don't even know how I knew her. Her name was Gwen Davis. She wrote sort of sexy books, like Jacqueline Suzanne novels. She was very smart. Went to Bryn Mawr. Brilliant woman. A playwright, novelist, and wrote comedy books also. She had a very wry sense of humor. I don't know how I knew her. I don't know how my mom knew her, but she was in my mom's circle. She was the only person in my life.

Who ever looked at me and said.

I see you, Jamie. I see you. I see that you are smart. I see that you're clever, see that you're funny. I see that you're, like, really observant and aware of.

Everything. I see that you're kind like she saw it. I see that you're spiritual. I see that you have a center. And there was no evidence of that. I wasn't good in school. I wasn't. Nothing distinguished me as a kid. I was cute. I had a lot of energy. But I probably have some learning issue. I was really a terrible student. Just wasn't. I didn't excel at anything. Not in sports, not in creative world, you know what I mean? I went to camp. You know what I mean? I loved making lanyards, and I loved people. I loved people. But I was really not definable. And to have her actually look at me and say.

I see you in there. You're very smart. That gave me some glimmer of, like, really, huh? And it has stayed with me. And I stayed friends with. She was tough and nutty.

And a complicated woman. But I stayed friends with her her whole life because of that gift. Because that gift changed my life.

[Willie Geist]

And to think you remember that, sitting here today, that's how important it was. How old were you, young girl at that point? A teenager. Right?

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Teenager. You know, I just. When you're a teenager and you're trying to figure it out.

And somebody says that you exist.

Cause it's always. Isn't that what the Internet is? It's just about existing. Like, we all are trying to say I exist, I exist. See me, look at me, look at me. I exist, I exist. This is what I wear, this is what I eat. This is where I go. This is what I do.

And when you're a teenager in a world where that isn't. Doesn't exist and you're not pretty, you know, that's why the Janis ian song at 17.

Slays me, because she's speaking about how I felt now. She's speaking about a very specific lifestyle that was not mine. Like, her life is very different than mine. But a great documentary on her, by the way. Janessian. Fantastic. But.

I wasn't pretty the way those girls were pretty. And I didn't. I wasn't an athlete the way, you know, we give a lot of props and flowers to people who excel in their youth. And I didn't have that. And so Gwen's appreciation of me and confidence in me gave me confidence.

[Willie Geist]

And were you not getting that from your own parents because they were busy and being movie stars?

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

No, no, they weren't movie stars by then. They weren't movies. They were old movie stars by then, wanting. You know, it's a hard. I don't know, I don't know your. We don't know each other, so I don't know your history. I don't know.

Did your father.

Stop getting to do the job he loved?

[Willie Geist]

He retired from it.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Self retired?

[Willie Geist]

Yes.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Okay. Actors don't self retire.

They just become redundant. They just become irrelevant. So when you're a movie star at the level that my parents were.

And you lose, your fame exists, but the work that gave you the fame is gone. It's heartbreaking. And I watched it my whole life because that's all they wanted, was to be able to do the thing they love to do.

So it wasn't like I had. I watched my parents be movie stars. I watched them be famous people, but I didn't actually watch them do the work very much. By the time I was conscious of, they were no longer.

Actively working. And, you know, it's a sad.

It's a rough business. And as you said, your dad retired.

I think actors. I've tried to self retire, Heidi will make. I have probably claimed retirement four times specifically because.

I want to get out before you no longer ask me to be in. I just don't want to have the same sad feeling of the fomo, of missing out on the thing that gave me my life force, which was my work.

I wanted to go like, okay, I'm done. I'll Be done. And then I can leave on my own, you know, your own terms. Terms, yeah.

[Willie Geist]

And yet you keep coming back, apparently. And by the way, not just coming back, but thriving. You are on a hot streak right now, I think. You know, so what's different?

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

I am highly aware.

[Willie Geist]

What.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

I am highly aware.

[Willie Geist]

What have you done differently or maybe learned from your parents to keep this going?

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Nothing. Well. Oh, that's not true. That's not true.

Well, first of all, I've learned nothing. Meaning nothing I have done actively has generated the amount of work I'm doing now. There is no formula for this.

I was lucky because my vanity was not my meal ticket. My parents were both known.

First and foremost for being beautiful. Both of them beautiful, like jaw droppingly beautiful humans and talented. So that's an intoxicating combo platter, right? Beautiful and talented. And both of them rode the beautiful and talented wave for a long time. Neither one of them wanted to acknowledge.

The deep, dark, truthful mirror of aging. And so they both tried to fend it off. I have embraced it fully. And I think that may be the secret key is I don't give a. Like, ultimately now, I just.

I won an Oscar in a part where.

Vanity was gone. On that movie, there was no, there wasn't a mirror in sight. It was about something else. And it allowed that work to come out. So all of a sudden, my vanity part.

That'S like when Sean came in to like touch my hair, like, ah, you recoiled. I recoiled because I don't. That's just not my life. I don't. I appreciate his care. I like a nice haircut, but I just don't. You'll notice I'm not looking in the mirror. It's not like I'm sitting here going like, what's life? Other people's job.

My job is to go in.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

And so I think the secret to difference is that I've been allowed to do that. Because by the way, Tony Curtis was a producer, did have a production company, was an example to me. I saw that he tried to produce. You know, Kirk Douglas was a great example to him. My dad and my mom. My mom never wanted to be a creative person like that in show business. Both of them wrote books. I write books, but I write books for children. They wrote books about their lives. I'm not gonna write a book about my life. I write books about young children, not my children, but I write books for young children about things. So, you know, we parallel there. But.

I now get the opportunity to. Because I Put myself in the path of it. I literally stepped in front of Jason Blum.

I swear, and said, hey, Jason.

You know, you never told me it was a trilogy of Halloween movies. Funny that you would omit that when we first met and I made the first movie. So funny. Ha ha. Aren't you clever? Listen, since I. You need me now for two more Halloween movies.

Because it's a trilogy, because he didn't mention it, how about you give me a little production deal? And I'm sure Jason Blum, he said it publicly, was like, okay, I'll give Jamie a vanity deal because I want her to do two more Halloween movies for me.

And I'm sure most vanity deals don't go very far. You know, an actor comes in with a couple ideas for things, and they're like, yeah, we're not gonna make that.

The first thing I brought him was the Lost Bus. So the first thing, the first call I made to him once I had a deal for a little company, Comet Pictures.

Which I will tell you the story of, which we'll laugh. But when that happened, I called Jason Blum after I heard the NPR story on Scott Simon, where Lizzie Johnson was the guest talking about her book paradise, the story of this horrific wildfire. Having read it in the Washington Post the day before, and me saying out loud, well, that's the movie story. The bus driver and the teacher, that's the story. There's the movie, didn't do anything. The next day, heard it on npr, pulled my car over on the side of the road, picked up the phone, called Jason Blum, said, jason, I want to buy this book. It's called Paradise. It's the story of Kevin McKay and Mary Ludwig. It's going to be expensive. It's going to be a very important film for you and I to make. And he agreed, and we did. So the first thing I brought him was a movie that became a. Paul Greengrass, Matthew McConaughey, America Fryer, Apple. Big incredibly important film to tell about the wildfire in Paradise, California.

[Willie Geist]

And very successful, too.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Very successful, yes. That was the first thing I brought, Jason Blum. The second thing I brought him was the Patricia Cornwell book series about Dr. Kay Scarpetta, who's a medical examiner in Virginia. And. And it had never been brought to the screen. I'm a friend of Patricia's, and I brought Jason Blum and his company those books. And that's a new TV series for Amazon, starring Nicole Kidman as Dr. Kay Scarpetta. And I'm in it also as her sister. But that's a show I'm also producing. So the first two things I brought Jason Blum were the Lost Bus and Scarpetta.

[Willie Geist]

This was not a vanity production house.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Well, what I'm saying is I put myself in the path of it, right? It has become a viable, living, breathing, thriving, surviving entity on its own. The reason it's called Comet Pictures. You're gonna laugh.

Swear. I was shooting True Lies with Arnold Schwarzenegger. We were in Florida in the Keys, and his trailer was right opposite mine. And his trailer door was always open. It was always, always open. And one day it was lunchtime. Jamie Lee, come in, have lunch. So I climbed upstairs and he was sitting, having muesli or something and muesli. And there was a basket of Christie's catalogs, like, next to the captain's chair that I was sitting in. And I. Yeah, we were just chicken talking. And I picked up this thing and I opened it up and I will send you the picture. I have it on my phone. The actual. So I opened this magazine and there was an art deco sculpture. So it's like that art deco thing of a comet.

Like a woman comet.

And I said to him, hey, can I have this page? Can I tear the page out of this? He said, sure. Why? I said, if I ever have a production company, I'm going to call it Comet Pictures and I'm going to use that as the logo. Now, I didn't ultimately use it as a logo. I used a logo, which is a photograph of my youngest daughter pointing up at meteor shower that I took. And we animated it as my logo. But I named my production company while shooting True Lies, Comet Pictures. And I have the picture of the comet like that I ripped out. I still have the piece of paper.

[Willie Geist]

That's 30 years before you have the production companies. It's gotta be like 93, 94.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

I put myself in the path.

[Willie Geist]

Yes, you saw something there.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Put myself in the path.

[Willie Geist]

Hey, guys, thanks for listening to the Sunday Sit down podcast. Stick around to hear more from Jamie Lee Curtis right after the break.

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[Jamie Lee Curtis]

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[Jamie Lee Curtis]

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[Jamie Lee Curtis]

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[Willie Geist]

Welcome back. Now more of my conversation with Jamie Lee Curtis. So being in the path, which you very much are right now, that you're talking about behind the scenes production, for the most part. But you win an Academy Award.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

I know.

[Willie Geist]

For everything, everywhere, all at once. You win an Emmy for the bear.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Yes.

[Willie Geist]

I watched the Christmas episode again this morning. It's one of the most, it's fantastic, fantastic, intense episodes of anything I've ever seen.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Yeah. It's a beautiful.

Harrowing.

Little drop of deep reality that I think many people related to.

[Willie Geist]

Totally.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah. I mean, I was reading Chris Storr, who writes the show, he was talking about you in that episode and said I needed chaos. And he said Jamie Lee came in and she dipped her hands in that butter and started putting them on the baguettes. And I said, we got it.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Well, what's fascinating about the work we do, it's you and I don't know each other. I walked in here, you know, now the truth is if we were acting in a show as a husband and wife, I might have just walked in the first day of work, said hi to the crew and then sat down with you and did a scene together at a restaurant pretending to be husband and wife. That's our job. It's to be immediately intimate.

[Willie Geist]

Right.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

In that experience, I didn't know anybody. I didn't know one of those people. I walked into that house. It was a real house in Chicago. It was in a hotel by myself, in my room by myself with all those words, looking at them. I got in a van that didn't say the bear because they didn't want to. They put another name on the vans because of all the guest stars.

[Willie Geist]

Right.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

They didn't want people knowing that Bob Odenkirk and Sarah Paulson and, you know, John Mulaney were going to be in the Bear. So it had some other bull name on the side of the van. Picked up strangers. Meeting the hair and makeup, wardrobe. Hi. Hi. Hi. Got Donna ed and walked onto a set and literally walked through and went, hi, I'm Jamie. Hi, Jamie. Hi. Nice to meet you. Hi, I'm Jamie. Okay, great. And then Chris was like, okay, let's roll that. It was like that quick.

[Willie Geist]

Wow. And it's like a grenade is rolling into the room.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

It is a grenade. It's incredible. And it's the power of the writing and obviously the power of the coordination. It's a beautiful dance of camera, sound.

[Willie Geist]

Yes.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Lighting, you know, acting.

It's a yummy soup, but it's intense.

And then it's over.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah, that's right.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

And then it's like an hour later, you kind of walk out and you're like, quivering and then you're onto something else, culminating you.

[Willie Geist]

A car in the house, a couple more shots and credits.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

I will tell you. I got on the plane on the way home.

And I had been there three days total.

And I remember. And I'm an early flyer. I like to get on the early flights. And I remember it was like 6:30 in the morning, and I was on a plane home, and I remember sitting there going, like.

What was that? Like, did that just happen? Like, I really wondered did that. Was that amazing or was that insane? Like, I couldn't. Yeah, I didn't know. Right. And then you live with it by yourself, and then all of a sudden. And you don't. You're not allowed to tell anybody.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

So you didn't say a word to anybody. And then all of a sudden.

You know.

[Willie Geist]

It worked, Donna. It worked. Incredible character.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Incredible.

[Willie Geist]

So you put those together. Your incredible Oscar, your Emmy. You do Freakier Friday.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

I love that you just, like, refer to them as mine. They're not mine. They're everybody's.

[Willie Geist]

All right, so team.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

I like that you consider it's way team. I mean, come on.

[Willie Geist]

But I mean, it's been like a.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

I've decorated them, too.

[Willie Geist]

Oh, you've decorated the.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

I don't. You know what?

[Willie Geist]

You're not precious about it.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

I can't be, because I'm like. It's impossible for me to treat that like precious. So Oscar has a googly eye. Oh, appropriate. Sure. And I also degendered them. So It's a they Them pin on it. Oh. Because it's sort of a. Oh, a pin. Yeah. You know, it's just a little pin resting on the base. It says they Them.

[Willie Geist]

Right.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

And Emmy has. So Coco Store is Chris's sister who's the food director. And the day we finished the kitchen scene, she gave me a pair of boxing gloves painted in the Italian flag. Little leather boxing gloves saying that I was now an official Italian. And they're hanging on the Emmy along with a little bear. I have a little stuffed bear that was one of the bears that I gave the children. And a cigarette lighter that had Donna's name that my friend Suzanne Yankovic gave me for Donna. And I called Chris and I said, my friend Suzanne Yankovic just gave me one of those flip lighters. You know, the. Like those silver.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

I don't know what they're called. What are they called?

[Willie Geist]

Is it a Bic lighter?

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Zippo.

[Willie Geist]

Zippo.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Like a Zippo lighter. But it had been engraved. She got it on ebay that it had been engraved with the name Donna. And I called Chris. I said, how about that? Donna's father gave that to Donna on her 18th birthday.

[Willie Geist]

Oh, yeah.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

And so it's in episode four, when she's lighting the cigarettes, she's lighting it with.

The lighter that says Donna. And that's also on the Emmy.

[Willie Geist]

I love that.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

It's like a little.

Little talismans.

[Willie Geist]

Little.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

It's a little bit of an altar. A little bit of, like an offering of many, many factors.

[Willie Geist]

Not in a glass case with it, it's not. Yes.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

There's no uplighting. No.

[Willie Geist]

But what is this moment when you put all these things together that have happened just in the last few years and including the movie we're about to talk about.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

But it's okay.

[Willie Geist]

Freak yourself.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

But Disney won't be mad if you don't.

[Willie Geist]

We've got you.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Don't worry, Sarah. You're gonna be fine. Right? Sarah's literally right now going like, yes. She's like, what are we talking.

[Willie Geist]

What are we talking about?

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

What are they doing? No, she's not.

[Willie Geist]

We'll get there. We'll get there.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

No, she's actually looking at her phone.

[Willie Geist]

But what does this moment feel like if you throw in Freakier Friday, Halloween ends, which is a coda to that big time 40 some year project of yours. What does this moment feel like in your career?

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Perfect.

Honestly.

There'S nothing about it that isn't just feeling perfect.

I'm so happy. It's happening now. Like at my age. I'm excited about the future. I have opportunities now. I'm still putting myself in the path. I'm still trying to hustle. I love a good hustle. I love.

Hustle. I love it. I love sweat equity. I like to get sweaty. I like to feel like I'm doing it and.

I really mean it. That I watched my parents.

It's like if you're in a car in a rear view mirror and you're looking at what you used to do and you're driving away and you aren't able to do it anymore. They just don't let you do.

Had an impact on me.

And the truth is I have a good family life. I have adult children.

I have creative life. I write books. I'm sober. I have a big sober community. I'm very involved. I'm philanthropic. I have charitable work. I love that. I do. I get to participate as a good human.

Doing good works. I'm trying to, you know, get a little louder about the state of affairs.

Excuse the pun.

You know what I mean?

So I'm trying to make sure that I check my boxes off before I go. But I'm having a really good time and.

It'S awesome.

[Willie Geist]

Stick around for more of my conversation with Jamie Lee Curtis right after a quick break.

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[Jamie Lee Curtis]

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[Jamie Lee Curtis]

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[Willie Geist]

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Welcome back. Now to the rest of My conversation with Jamie Lee Curtis. I love that you say there's still a lot in front of me.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Lot.

[Willie Geist]

And you've got clearly, I mean, with what you're doing in production.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

I have, I have.

[Willie Geist]

I mean, you're doing a lot.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

I have some TV series that I'm trying to develop that I will not be in, that I just want to produce. I have another children's book that I'm going to work on. I have, again, philanthropic work I'm going to try to do. There's a movie I'm going to do next year, Scarpetta, Season two. We start shooting in March.

It's.

You know, it's good. And.

The reason I am in New York wearing a poinsettia plant version of a suit.

Is because I got a letter sent to me by James L. Brooks. Now, I've had.

Two times. Now I have had two times someone call me. Like, one time my phone rang. Hello? And it was John Cleese. And I thought John Cleese was calling to, like, basically go, can you introduce me to your husband the same way Jon Meacham called me, Was like, hi, it's Jon Meacham. Hi, Jon Meacham. Hey, listen, could I talk to Chris? Oh, sure, hold on. You know, anyway, so John Cleese called me and said, hi, I've written a movie for you, Me, Kevin Klein and Michael Palin. And I was like, oh, okay. So that happened.

Jim Cameron called me at my house one day and I picked up the phone, hi, Jamie, it's James Cameron.

Mm. Hi, James Cameron.

What's up? Like, what? And he said, I've written a movie for you and Arnold Schwarzenegger that I'd like you to do. So I've had this happen.

Neither one of those people were people that I.

Had sat at home going, oh, I hope John Cleese calls me one day. Or, I hope Jim Cameron calls me one day. I mean, the movies Jim had made were like scary things. And I'm not. I don't like those kind of things. And, you know, Terminator, you know what I mean? Like, it's just not. I'm not into it. So it wasn't. But Jim Brooks. Jim Brooks made Terms of Endearment. He made Broadcast News. He made as Good As It Gets. He makes the movies that I love.

About people. Complicated, challenging, funny, heartbreaking, human, flawed people. And he puts them into a situation that is political and thoughtful and timely and demanding of attention.

So he's one of those people who, my whole life, I'm 67. I've been an actress since I was 19.

My whole life. I thought.

Someday I'll get to work with Martin Scorsese, James L. Brooks, you know, Francis Ford Copeland. There are directors whose work I just love.

[Willie Geist]

And for people watching who don't know Mary Tyler Moore, Taxi. The list is just outrageous. The Simpsons.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

The Simpsons.

[Willie Geist]

He's responsible for the Simpsons.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Yes.

[Willie Geist]

So what happens?

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

So.

I get a letter delivered to my house, says, jamie Lee Curtis from Jim Brooks. And the letter says, dear Jamie Lee, I've worked on this script forever. We shoot in the fall. I'd love you to be Helen. I direct much better than a handwrite. Jim.

Wow.

[Willie Geist]

Did you have any sense that was coming or you.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Not a clue. So. And then there was an email with a script because I was traveling.

Come on.

[Willie Geist]

There's the ticket.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

So for me, that it didn't matter what it was. It really didn't matter. I was like, that's crazy thrilling. And it turns out to be a gorgeous part in a movie where I get to play.

This beautiful young woman. The movie is called Ella McKay. It's a movie about an idealistic young politician who really believes in the power of public service, helping people. That our job as public servants is to help people versus get rich and be awful, which is what politicians look like today.

[Willie Geist]

Troll on social media.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

I mean, it's just awful. Behave abominably. Cold women slurs.

[Willie Geist]

The point is to help people.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

The point of public service is to help people. And she believes in it. And she's from a complicated family. She has a father who can't keep his pants on and therefore has a serial problem with women.

She unfortunately marries a guy who's kind of a.

[Willie Geist]

He just is.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Yeah, he just is. Yeah. But she still has the idealistic belief that she can do good in the world. And she has an aunt Helen because her mom dies very early. Her aunt Helen becomes that woman in her life who believes that she can do good in the world and believes in her 100%, like, full tilt support. And that's the part of Helen McKay is I'm her aunt Helen. And it's a gorgeous part. Emma mackey plays Ellen McKay, young, beautiful actress who's going to explode after this movie. And it's just a lovely family. Complicated, funny, poignant story about family being released on December 12th in movie theaters. To go to the movies with your family. And funny. I was looking at the slate of movies that are out there, and I'm like, what movie do you want to go see with your family?

They're great movies. They look super violent. They look super, super sad. Like crazy sad. Like, the last thing I want to do in the holidays is just go see a super sad movie. Or do I want to go see a movie.

That'S about family and friendship and fun and funny? And it's a Jim Brooks movie, and he wrote it and directed it, and I'm just thrilled to be a part of it, to be Aunt Helen in this gorgeous part.

[Willie Geist]

It's beautifully written, the cast is amazing. Woody Harrelson's in it. I mean, you can go to.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

He might be playing the father, maybe my brother in the movie. Jack Loudon might be the husband. Julie Kavner.

[Willie Geist]

Yes.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

From the Simpsons. From Simpsons. Yep. Plays Estelle, the secretary. I mean, it's a beautiful cast. Albert Brooks plays the governor and he's Hilaire.

[Willie Geist]

That's great.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Hilare. It's just a Jim Brooks melange of goodness.

[Willie Geist]

So for people watching who don't get what it means to be in a Jim Brooks project, what is the magic of his writing, his directing?

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Well, it's all writing. So that's why, in a weird way, if you think about it, I mean, from John Cleese, it's the writing. James Cameron. It was the writing. It was funny. That script was funny. He wrote it. You know, the bear writing. Everything everywhere, all at once, the writing. You know, Jim Brooks. It's the writing, it's the words, it's the idea. It always goes back to the words. He has a way of distilling what's happening into poetry that then you film and you feel and the filming and feeling happening at the same time with those words coming out of your mouth is just a very singular Jim Brooks experience. And.

Again, I'm just. It's the pinch me part of it. I do wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and go, like Jim Brooks movie. Like Jim Brooks.

[Willie Geist]

And by the way, he hasn't made a movie in 15 years.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

15 years.

[Willie Geist]

This is kind of a comeback thing. And he writes you the letter.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

He wrote me a letter and asked me to play Helen. I just can't. I just. This is. This is a treasure, like, crazy to me. Like, they said, will you bring it? I was like, yes. But I'm gonna put it in a very safe bag that Mary Ludwig made me, and I'm gonna carry it in my own bag. And I'm not gonna, like. Cause this would. This is really precious to me.

[Willie Geist]

That's a framer. I don't know if she.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

You Know what? I won't. No, I'm trying not to. Like.

It'S just like. I know. It's for you. It's for me.

[Willie Geist]

Yes. And by the way, that's a nice nexus of your worlds. The bag that was made by the Mary Ludwig. The Real World.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

I know. As a gift. It's beautiful with my name on it.

[Willie Geist]

It's beautiful.

[MiraCare Advertiser]

I know.

[Willie Geist]

You're doing great work, Jamie Lee Curtis.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

It's so nice. Fun talking to you.

[Willie Geist]

Congratulations on the.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Sorry that we only just met.

[Willie Geist]

Well, here we are now.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

I know.

[Willie Geist]

So our first date was a success.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

I know. And when you see Jon Meacham.

[Willie Geist]

Oh, I'll see him in two days.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

I know. And you'll talk about my husband and it'll be good.

[Willie Geist]

Tell him to back off a little bit maybe. Or is it.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

No, you know what? I welcome it. You know what? There's room in my marriage for John Meacham. There is. I'm a big enough woman that I can accept Jon Meacham into my marriage.

[Willie Geist]

There's the PR quote, guys. Let's get that out. So open marriage.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

I said, well.

For Jon Meacham.

[Willie Geist]

Right, right, right.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

He's welcome into our marriage. He can just have a bromance with my husband and they can just love on each other and appreciate each other's real talents and talk about Andrew Jackson.

[Willie Geist]

And talk about whatever else comes up in the movie.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

I can spell Andrew Jackson.

[Willie Geist]

Thank you.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Thank you.

[Willie Geist]

That was great.

[Jamie Lee Curtis]

Super fun.

[Willie Geist]

My big thanks to Jamie Lee for a great, meandering, wonderful conversation. Ella McKay is in theaters on December 12th. My thanks to all of you for listening again this week. If you want to hear more of our conversations with my guests every week, be sure to click follow so you never miss an episode. And don't forget to tune in to Sunday Today every weekend on NBC to see these interviews with your own two eyes. I'm Willie Geist. We'll see you right back here next week on the Sunday Sit down podcast.

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