Jamie Lee Curtis is grateful to her movie star mother for keeping her waiting to star in a horror movie.
During a recent appearance on “The Drew Barrymore Show” (via People), Curtis said that producers wanted her to audition for “The Exorcist.” But her mother, Janet Leigh, shut down that opportunity to protect her then 12-year-old daughter from early fame and the potential trauma of appearing in one of the scariest films ever made.
“He called my mom and said, ‘Hey, I’m producing a movie about the book ‘The Exorcist.’ Would you let Jamie audition? ” Curtis recalled. “And I was probably 12 years old at the time and I was cute and kind of sassy and had a personality, so I think he saw me at a party and thought, ‘Oh, she’d be interesting.'” And my mom said, ‘No.’ ”
She then told host Barrymore: “Thankfully, my mother wanted me to have a childhood, and I think you didn’t have that. You didn’t have that option.” Barrymore’s first role was in E.T. She was only seven years old and played Elliot’s sister.
Linda Blair was ultimately cast as the possessed child Regan. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 1974 Academy Awards for this role.
Curtis first broke out in 1978 at the age of 19 with the classic Halloween, and soon became synonymous with the horror genre. Over the next few years, Curtis starred in films such as The Fog, Prom Night, and Terror Train. She recently reprized her role as Laurie from 1978’s Halloween in 2022’s Halloween Ends.
