NEED TO KNOW
Even though she delivered Oscar-winning performance in 2022’s Everything Everywhere All at Once, Jamie Lee Curtis says she did not understand the script even a little bit when she first read it.
In a May interview on CBS News’ 60 Minutes, the 67-year-old actress was asked if she understood the plot of the film when she got it.
“Of course not,” Curtis responded. “Not one second of it. Did I understand that script? No.”
The film centers on a a Chinese-American immigrant laundromat owner who, while being audited by the IRS, discovers that she must connect with parallel universe versions of herself.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Allyson Riggs/A24
And while the plot itself was convoluted, Curtis said she did understand the character of IRS auditor Deirdre Beaubeirdre — a role that also won the actress a BAFTA and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.
“We all know Dierdre. She’s a woman who’s not loved. She’s a woman who uses her power in her job to control people because she has no love in her life,” Curtis said.
Upon winning the Academy Award, Curtis could be seen in the audience mouthing the words “shut up” in disbelief.
As she told 60 Minutes of the moment, “Totally, because that wasn’t supposed to happen.”
Curtis also spoke to the news show about her famous parents, the late actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Both were nominated for Academy Awards during their careers, but did not win.
“I think about surpassing my parents, which I have, emotionally. I’ve surpassed my parents with sobriety,” Curtis told 60 Minutes. “My mother was restricted by what the industry wanted from her and expected from her and would allow from her. My mother would have hated [2024 film] The Last Showgirl because I showed what I really looked like. I have — I don’t want to say surpassed them, but I have freedom.”
