"I don't remember any of it because I was now juggling like a circus performer" - Jamie Lee Curtis on landing her beloved role at the last minute

Jamie Lee Curtis has become a household name thanks in part to her roles in the Halloween franchise as Laurie Strode, True Lies, and The Tailor of Panama. Amongst many other roles that have endeared her to fans over time, one that stands out is her lead performance in 2003’s classic coming-of-age comedy, Freaky Friday, in which she starred alongside a then-up-and-coming Lindsay Lohan.

Interestingly, Curtis recently divulged to People Magazine in an exclusive interview that:

"I found out I was going to be in Freaky Friday two days before they started shooting, because someone else was in the movie and dropped out."

This was even more seemingly fated to be, as Curtis was a mother of two at the time, and the role she would portray was that of an overprotective mother.

Jamie Lee Curtis opens up about Freaky Friday

The film’s comical premise sees Curtis’ hardworking psychologist character swap bodies with her teenage daughter. Curtis remembers the film mirroring some of her real-life experiences at the time:

"I had a 10-year-old and a five-year-old at home, and I found out on that Monday I was going to be doing a movie where I played a 15-year-old and a 45-year-old. I don't remember any of it because I was now juggling like a circus performer. So my memory at the time was to simply be in the moment of the job, and then the movie came out and people loved it."

Curtis’s iteration of Freaky Friday marked the third film adaptation of the 1972 novel, which was penned by Mary Rodgers. In her conversation with People Magazine, Curtis references daughters Ruby and Annie, whom she shares with husband Christopher Guest. Her personal life seems to have helped inform her performance in the film, one that several people have related to profoundly since the film’s release.

Freakier Friday is on the horizon and will see the iconic duo of Curtis and Lohan reprise their roles in the upcoming sequel. The zany premise of the film is as follows:

"The story picks up years after Tess (Curtis) and Anna (Lohan) endured an identity crisis. Anna now has a daughter of her own and a soon-to-be stepdaughter. As they navigate the myriad challenges that come when two families merge, Tess and Anna discover that lightning might indeed strike twice."

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The ensemble cast will include Mark Harmon and Chad Michael Murray, among other actors returning from the 2003 film, and newcomers Vanessa Bayer, Julia Butters, and Manny Jacinto.

Freakier Friday is slated to hit theaters on August 8, 2025.

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