Jamie Lee Curtis’ Introduction to the Horror Genre Could Have Come Years Earlier
Jamie Lee Curtis landed her first horror movie role at just 19 years old. Curtis was born into Hollywood royalty and had an early interest in acting, but her first role, in Halloween, truly launched her career. Curtis recently revealed that she had been offered the chance to audition for a different role years earlier, but her mother turned it down on her behalf. She was absolutely insistent that Curtis have a normal childhood, despite her famous family. She recently reflected on the decision, revealing that it was a good one. The role she was offered was the part Linda Blaire took on in The Exorcist.
Jamie Lee Curtis could have appeared in ‘The Exorcist’
Jamie Lee Curtis recently appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show to discuss her life, career, and growing up in Hollywood. During the chat, Curtis revealed that, while she broke out as a teen, she was offered a chance to become a child star. Her mother refused to let her take the meeting, though.
Curtis recalled her mother, Janet Leigh, being asked if Jamie Lee Curtis would be interested in working on The Exorcist. Curtis said her mother really wanted her to have a childhood and declined the audition on her daughter’s behalf. The role went to Linda Blair, and Curtis retained her mostly anonymous childhood. She reflected on her mother’s action, noting that it was a good decision. She compared it to Barrymore’s own childhood as a star.
Who were Jamie Lee Curtis’ parents?
Jamie Lee Curtis’ mother said no to The Exorcist because she already knew what Hollywood had to offer. Curtis was born to Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis. Her mother was an A-list star years before her daughter became one. She appeared in films like Psycho, Touch of Evil, and The Manchurian Candidate. Later, she even appeared alongside Jamie Lee Curtis in The Fog and Halloween H2O.
Curtis’ father, Tony Curtis, was an iconic Hollywood star who ran in the same circles as Kirk Douglas and Marilyn Monroe. He appeared in films like Some Like It Hot, The Defiant Ones, and Spartacus. His personal life was just as prolific as his film career. He was married six times, though his first marriage was to Leigh. They divorced in 1962. Curtis was Leigh’s third husband. She married once more, to Robert Brandt, in 1962, and remained married until her death in 2004.
