Fans are familiar with actress Jamie Lee Curtis from her television and movie roles, but how
much do people really know about the star's fascinating life?
From being in the spotlight since childhood, to trying to just blend in with everyone else
— and struggling with addiction along the way — there's a lot you probably don't know
about 1978's Halloween scream queen.
Let's take a closer look at her stunning transformation over the years.
Uninvolved father
Curtis' childhood was anything but average.
Her parents were famous actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, and Tony wasn't necessarily
focused on his role as father.
Curtis later discussed her father in an interview on The Talk, saying,
"He did what he was supposed to do from a financial standpoint, which was honorable
of him, but he was not an involved father."
"I did feel very much separated from him."
Still, the actress has made it clear that she understood his role in her life, and she
was not upset about it.
"I'm close to both my parents.
We both, you know, I have a nice relationship with everybody in my family, thank goodness.
And I try to, I work at it.
We all work at relationships."
Spotlight struggles
Growing up with famous parents makes it near impossible to have a normal childhood.
And while her mother tried her best to keep her daughter happy, Curtis struggled with
the fame.
She told Rolling Stone,
"You're a child trying to develop an identity and a sense of self-worth, and all this Hollywood
stuff plagues you and makes you kind of wonder who you are.
Then you're twelve through eighteen, and you're developing sexually and emotionally.
And it's hard."
High school wallflower
With so much attention on her, Curtis made it her mission to have the least number of
eyes on her as possible.
High school was particularly tough — she told Rolling Stone,
"[It was] f---ing killer."
"That was one of the most interminably long things ever.
From 9th grade to 12th grade, was like a joke how long that was."
Curtis spent time at three different high schools, and she would take note of the wardrobe
trends at each school with a specific goal in mind.
She shared,
"I didn't want to be an individual; I just wanted to fit in and be normal.
[...] So if another girl was wearing her hair up in a ponytail, the next day I'd do that.
I said I liked whatever kind of music they liked.
It was a nightmare.
I've never been so depressed."
Easy to pretend
Following in her parents' footsteps, the future star took something that had been a negative
in her life and turned it into a strength.
She told Rolling Stone,
"I think the fact that I had very low self-confidence growing up and in high school made me a good
actress.
It was easy for me to be a preppie with preppie kids and a hippie with hippie kids."
"Pretending to be somebody else has never been difficult for me."
This came in handy for 19-year-old Curtis when she landed the lead role in a small slasher
film called Halloween.
The movie ended up being a huge success, and gave Curtis a feeling of confidence she hadn't
experienced before.
She shared,
"I was finally able to say, 'That's mine.
I did that.
That's all me.'"
Cosmetic work
Curtis has always kept it real, and she's not afraid to talk about the cosmetic work
she had done around 1992.
The then 34-year-old felt pressured while filming a movie to have work done, but the
result wasn't what she expected.
She said during a later interview with The Telegraph,
"Nobody tells you if you take fat from your body in one place, it comes back in another
place.
All of these 'bettering' experiences are not without risk.
And there is this illusion that once you do it, then you'll be fine.
And that's just horses--t.
I looked worse."
Addiction
Even though Curtis gained confidence through her acting, she struggled with addiction through
the years.
In 2016, after being clean for more than 17 years, she opened up in an editorial for Huffington
Post about her own experience becoming hooked on the prescription medication she had received
after a medical procedure.
She wrote,
"I too, waited anxiously for a prescription to be filled for the opiate I was secretly
addicted to.
I too, took too many at once.
I too, sought to kill emotional and physical pain with pain killers."
In the late 1990s, 40-something Curtis decided to stop taking the medication and went clean.
Simple style
While Curtis doesn't use style to try to fit in any more, she also isn't looking to stand
out.
She's keeping it simple, buying a few black dresses each year.
She summed up her style during an interview with AARP, sharing,
"I've etched out who I am through myriad haircut attempts, outfit attempts, beauty attempts,
diet attempts.
It's been an evolution.
I've let my hair go gray.
I wear only black and white."
"See, this works for you.
If I put that on, you'd look at me and go, 'Okay, nice try, Jamie.'"
Lifestyle change
According to AARP, in 2000 Curtis read a tabloid article that listed her weight as 161 pounds.
She didn't believe it, but when she went home to confirm for herself, her scale actually
read 161.
From that point, the 42-year-old dedicated her time to being healthy and feeling good.
She shared,
"Now, I get up at five o'clock in the morning every day, filled with energy.
I play tennis three times a week, and I do yoga.
I'm never going to be an athlete [...] I'm not that person.
But I walk with girlfriends, and walking is incredibly good for you."
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