Jamie Lee Curtis’ status as one of cinema’s greatest scream queens would be sufficient to place the prolific actress on the list of hardest-working stars in Hollywood, but her body of work outside the horror film industry is equally, if not more, amazing. Curtis is best recognised for her work in Halloween, but over the years, she has also been in a variety of films, including classic comedies like A Fish Called Wanda as well as violent mystery films like Knives Out. And as this looks like an excellent opportunity to analyze Curtis’ legendary performances.
My Girl (1991)
The daughter of a widowed funeral home director, Vada Sultenfuss (Anna Chlumsky), goes through what may be the most important summer of her young life as she enters her pre-teen years, along with all its suffering, sorrow, and bewilderment.
Vada was undoubtedly the protagonist of Howard Zieff’s coming-of-age drama from 1991, but that shouldn’t be taken away from the supporting cast, which includes Jamie Lee Curtis as Shelly DeVoto, the new makeup artist at the funeral home and Harry Sultenfuss’s love interest (Dan Aykroyd).
Because of Curtis’ outstanding performance as a woman who isn’t afraid of change and a little heartache, Shelly may be the character who has the biggest influence on Vada over the summer.
Knives Out (2019)
Best-selling crime author Harlan Thrombey (the late Christopher Plummer) passes away inexplicably, and eccentric private investigator Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is enlisted to investigate the case at the writer’s vast estate, even if one of the deceased’s loved ones is to blame.
The incredible performances by the ensemble cast helped Rian Johnson’s 2019 whodunit Knives Out rapidly secure a spot on the list of top murder mysteries after its debut.
That includes Jamie Lee Curtis’ perspective on Linda Drysdale, the late writer’s oldest child, and how she may go in a single sentence from being a reasonable person to a crazed egotist. That is truly impressive.
Blue Steel (1989)
After killing a robbery suspect with her gun, rookie NYPD cop Megan Turner’s (Jamie Lee Curtis) life is turned upside down, giving the impression that she had killed an unarmed man.
The young cop’s life is made even more difficult and hazardous when the man who stole the pistol chooses to use it in a series of killings.
It’s a sad tragedy that Kathryn Bigelow’s 1990 crime drama Blue Steel doesn’t seem to get spoken about all that much.
With their on-screen chemistry and capacity to completely immerse themselves in their characters, Curtis and Clancy Brown as NYPD detective Nick Mann make this a must-watch.
True Lies (1994)
One of the most creative and successful spies in the world, Omega Sector counterterrorism agent Harry Tasker (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is only known to his family as a mild-mannered computer salesman.
Harry’s work and personal lives become entangled, leading to a very complex muddle when a terrorist threatens the world with a nuclear weapon.
Jamie Lee Curtis’ portrayal of Harry Tasker’s wife Helen, who appears to be unaware that her husband is a prolific spy capable of almost anything, is what really sells the double-life of Harry Tasker in James Cameron’s 1994 action-comedy True Lies.
Furthermore, Curtis has a great opportunity to show off her humorous skills in the movie’s main plotline (Helen gets entangled in the scheme of a purported spy played by the late Bill Paxton).
Road Games (1981)
As the victims of a brutal serial killer in the Australian Outback, truck driver Pat Quid (Stacy Keach) and young hitchhiker Pamela (Jamie Lee Curtis) find themselves in a fight for survival.
The 1981 thriller Road Games, which Richard Franklin directed, is a low-key yet high-stakes cat and mouse game made all the more horrifying by the mystery surrounding the lethal serial murderer (Grant Page) as he plays with Pat and Pamela on isolated highway stretches.
In addition to trying something fresh with less horror and more nerve-wracking thrills, Jamie Lee Curtis is particularly great (despite having only a few acting credits).
Freaky Friday (2003)
After reading a very peculiar fortune cookie, Tess Coleman (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her daughter Anna (Lindsay Lohan) learn that their bodies have magically switched. The two are made to act alike for the day as they attempt to find a way to return to normal before Tess’ wedding and Anna’s battle of the bands audition.
The two actors who were tasked with playing two personas during Mark Waters’ 2003 version of the Disney classic Freaky Friday delivered an excellent performance.
Jamie Lee Curtis excels in her role as a successful therapist who is a middle-aged mom of two acting like an unruly adolescent. Her portrayal in this hilarious body-swap comedy has a lot of depth.
Halloween (2018)
After escaping from a mental hospital once more forty years after his night of horror in the tranquil Illinois hamlet of Haddonfield, Michael Myers is back and attempting to continue where he left off.
But Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), who is waiting for him when he returns, is ready to stop him for good when he does.
Jamie Lee Curtis’ portrayal of Laurie Strode in David Gordon Green’s terrifying Halloween is as different from the character she played in the original movie as it is possible to imagine.
Over the years, she’s developed her self-defense skills and prepared for this night; as a result, she unquestionably develops into a badass.
