Jamie Lee Curtis says realizing she's 'going to die soon' motivated her to produce impactful films
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In a candid interview with Entertainment Weekly, Oscar-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis revealed that her awareness of mortality has motivated her to produce impactful films.
At 65, the actress, best known for her iconic role as Laurie Strode in the Halloween franchise, is stepping into a new phase of her career with a focus on storytelling that resonates with both herself and her audience.
Jamie Lee Curtis embraces her role as producer to share meaningful narratives
While discussing her upcoming documentary about '90s fitness icon Susan Powter, Jamie Le Curtis reflected on her experiences in Hollywood, particularly regarding the industry's treatment of aging women.
“I should've played her in a movie,” Curtis remarked, expressing regret for not having pursued the role during Powter's rise to fame. As she reminisced, she recognized that her confidence to advocate for such projects only emerged after a life-altering realization.
"I was thinking about it back in the day. I wasn't thinking about it today because I didn't know where Susan Powter was. When she was in her ascendancy, I would've absolutely been the person you would've hired. I looked cute in a leotard, I had short hair, I would've cut it shorter, I'm brazen and bold, maybe a little annoying, maybe a little loud."
“I only stepped into my own power as a producer when I realized I was going to die soon,” she explained.
"When I turned 60 was a real turning point where I realized all of the things I'd been holding in my head, heart, mind, soul, spirit, and life force were going to die with me if I didn't bring it out into the universe." She explains that this realization drove her to establish her own production company, Comet Pictures, to take control of her career trajectory.
"That was my moment of truth, and that's when I went to Jason Blum and said, 'I want a production company.' It has yielded quite well for all of us."
New documentary on Susan Powter explores fame, fortune, and forgotten lives
Filmmaker Zeberiah Newman is set to release a thought-provoking documentary, funded by actress Jamie Lee Curtis, that delves into the rise and fall of fitness guru Susan Powter. Known for her 'Stop the Insanity!' infomercial and a brief talk show career from 1994 to 1995, Powter’s fame was once all-encompassing.
Today, however, the 66-year-old is a delivery driver for Uber Eats, a stark shift from her high-profile past. The documentary sheds light on her path from stardom to financial hardship, including setbacks from lawsuits and misguided business decisions that ultimately depleted her wealth.
Curtis emphasizes that the documentary is much more than an expose on Powter’s life.
"This was never an exploitation piece about Susan Powter," Curtis explains. "It’s an indictment of how we discard human beings as they get older and the lack of dignity offered these human beings who've lived before us and have given us the lives we all are now living."
"It's an indictment to every family who has shuttered away the elderly in that forgotten, awful way that they do. It is an indictment of how we treat older people in our work lives," Curtis concluded.
