‘Halloween’: the movie that made Jamie Lee Curtis
It can often be reductive or even disparaging to boil an entire performer’s career down to a single role and name it as the catalyst behind everything they’ve gone on to achieve since, but it’s also unequivocally true in the case of Jamie Lee Curtis and Halloween. John Carpenter’s seminal slasher was her first-ever part in a feature film, and having it come in one of the greatest and most important horror movies in the history of cinema is about the best way of establishing star credentials right out of the gate as there’s ever going to be.
Beyond reprising the role of Laurie Strode on a further six occasions, Curtis has long since branched out and diversified, creating a body of work that’s seen her remain a fixture of screens both big and small for over 40 years. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to make it that far and maintain that position for so long, but it wouldn’t have happened in the way that it did if it wasn’t for Halloween.
Despite her self-appointed status as one of Hollywood’s original nepo babies, Carpenter was reluctant to cast her because he “had no idea who she was”. Fortunately, co-writer and producer Debra Hill recognised that as the daughter of Janet Leigh, “casting Jamie Lee would be great publicity for the film because her mother was in Psycho“. She was paid the princely sum of $8,000 for her efforts, and just like that, the floodgates to her future burst open.
Initially typecast as a scream queen in Terror Train, The Fog, and Prom Night, it was Trading Places indicated that Curtis was too talented to become pigeonholed. Over the years, she’s notched a cavalcade of credits in virtually every genre under the sun, winning countless prizes along the way that showcased her versatility and range.
Alongside her Academy Award for ‘Best Supporting Actress’ that saw her triumph on her very first nomination for Everything Everywhere All at Once, Curtis won a Bafta for Trading Places. In addition, she scooped a Golden Globe for her wonderful performance opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in James Cameron’s True Lies. Curtis didn’t thank Halloween or Laurie in her Oscar speech, but she may as well have done, considering it served as the springboard to more than 40 years of consistent success.
Arguably more in demand than ever, Curtis is part of one of TV’s biggest shows as Donna Berzatto in The Bear and was the focal point of the rebooted Halloween trilogy that earned almost half a billion dollars combined at the box office. She won an Oscar of her own for her work in a ‘Best Picture’ winner and lent support in Rian Johnson’s star-studded smash hit whodunit Knives Out.
It all began with Halloween, and it’s hardly stretching the bounds of credulity to suggest that Curtis may not have enjoyed such longevity had she not made her maiden appearance on the big screen in a game-changing slasher that’s stood the test of time as one of the genre’s all-time greats.
Watch the trailer below.
