‘she will have a childhood’: Jamie Lee Curtis reveals how her mother saved her from child stardom

Jamie Lee Curtis revealed that before she became the iconic ‘’scream queen’’ from her slasher movie, Halloween (1978), she had an early opportunity to star as a child actor in The Exorcist (1973). While she made her appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, the 67-year-old Jamie Lee Curtis opened up about how her mom saved her and focused on giving her a childhood that she deserved, rather than exposing her to the stardom that she is not ready to deal with. 

According to reports by The Hollywood Reporter, the film’s producer contacted Jamie Lee Curtis’s mother, Janet Leigh, asking if Jamie could audition for an upcoming horror film. At the time, Jamie was only 12 years old, and Psycho star Janet Leigh clearly said ‘no.’ Jamie wasn’t questioning her mom’s choices; instead, she shared that she was grateful to her mother for giving her ‘’a normal and safe childhood.’’ 

“My mom really wanted me to have, thank God, a childhood,” Jamie said. She further recalled her mother’s firm response at the time: “No, she will have a childhood. She will have protection.”

The Freakier Friday actress understands how auditioning for or acting in scary films at a very young age can affect a child’s mind. After turning down that role, she made her horror debut at the age of 19 in Halloween (1978). The role that Jamie’s mother rejected was later given to Linda Blair, who played Regan Teresa MacNeil in The Exorcist. 

Jamie Lee Curtis reflects on how her mother protected her childhood

While speaking to Drew Barrymore, Jamie shared an interesting insight. She recalled how her mother helped shape her career choices when she was young. She said,

“He called my mom and said, ‘Hey, I’m producing the movie of the book The Exorcist.’ Will you let Jamie audition for it?'And at the time I was probably 12 and, like, cute and kind of sassy and I had some personality, and I’m sure he saw me at a party and was like, ‘Oh, she’d be funny.’ And my mother said, ‘No.'”

She added, 

“My mom really wanted me to have, thank God, a childhood, which I understand you didn’t get. You [Drew] didn’t get that option. People didn’t step in and say, ‘No, she will have a childhood. She will have protection,” as she compared her experience to Drew Barrymore’s, who started acting very young age.

Later, when she began taking roles in horror films, she became a legendary face in the genre. With back-to-back hits like The Fog (1980), Prom Night (1980), and Terror Train (1980), she quickly became one of the most recognizable stars in this genre. Alongside her horror roles, she also moved into comedy and showed her versatility. She scored big hits with Freakier Friday and appeared in well-loved films like Knives Out, Christmas with the Kranks, and My Girl, proving she could shine beyond the horror genre.

According to reports by BangShowbiz, she shared with Entertainment Weekly that although she did not act in The Exorcist, she watched the film when she was 15 years old with her friends and added, "It scared me so badly that my friends would taunt me in school."