Curtis was 19 when she landed her breakthrough role in John Carpenter’s “Halloween.”

Jamie Lee Curtis is glad mom Janet Leigh refused to let her audition for *The Exorcist *at age 12: ‘Thank God’

Curtis was 19 when she landed her breakthrough role in John Carpenter's "Halloween."

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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December 28, 2025 2:50 p.m. ET

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A young Jamie Lee Curtis circa 1966 and Linda Blair on the set of 1973's 'The Exorcist'. Credit:

Martin Mills/Getty; Warner Bros. Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty

Jamie Lee Curtis is glad that she dodged the pressures of child stardom — even if it meant missing out on an iconic horror franchise.

Curtis' big breakthrough moment famously came when she cemented herself as a scream queen in John Carpenter's slasher, *Halloween*. But during a recent appearance on *The Drew Barrymore Show*, the Oscar-winner shared that she nearly got her start as the star of another classic horror film, thanks to producer Ray Stark calling her mom, Janet Leigh, with an audition.

"He called my mom and said, 'Hey, I'm producing the movie of the book *The Exorcist*. Will you let Jamie audition for it?'" Curtis recalled. "And at the time, I was probably 12 and, like, cute and kind of sassy, and I had some personality, and I’m sure he saw me at a party and was like, 'Oh, she’d be funny.'"

But whether or not she would have been the right fit for the role, Curtis will never know because her mother responded with a firm, "No."

Actress Janet Leigh with her daughter Jamie Lee Curtis in 1967.

Archive Photos/Getty

Curtis explained, "My mom really wanted me to have — thank God — a childhood, which I understand you didn’t get. You didn’t get that option. And people didn't step in and say, 'No, [Drew] will have a childhood, she will have protection.'"

The latter comment refers to Barrymore getting her start in Hollywood at just seven years old, as the star of Steven Spielberg's sci-fi flick,* E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial*. As for Curtis, her big-screen debut didn't come until the actress was 19, and her parents were there to offer guidance along the way.

Curtis grew up as the daughter of actors Leigh (*Psycho*, *Touch of Evil*, 1949's *Little Women*) and Tony Curtis (*Some Like It Hot, Spartacus, The Defiant Ones*). As for *The Exorcist,* the role of Regan — a young girl possessed by a demon — went to Linda Blair, whose work on the film earned her an Oscar nomination at just 14 years old.

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Jamie Lee Curtis holds a knife in a scene from the film 'Halloween', 1978.

Compass International Pictures/Getty

Meanwhile, the *Everything Everywhere All at Once* star previously told* * that missing out on the role did not prevent her from having her own memorable *Exorcist* viewing experience.

"We had a house that actually had a screening capability, and we screened *The Exorcist* for my 15th birthday, for my friends," she shared back in 2018. "It scared me *so badly* that my friends would taunt me in school."

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Curtis eventually became synonymous with the horror genre for her role as Laurie Strode in numerous *Halloween* movies, in addition to starring in other horror films like *The Fog*,* Prom Night,* and* Terror Train.* Though she was a young adult by the time she stepped into the spotlight, Curtis has openly discussed the toll fame took on her mental health and body image, leading to her struggles with addiction. Earlier this year, she celebrated 26 years sober.

"26 years ago today I walked into my first recovery meeting," Curtis wrote on Instagram in February. "Since then, my life has completely changed. I have made beautiful, beautiful, friendships and it has expanded my life beyond recovery and it has given me the family life and creative life. I never thought possible. To every person I have come in contact with who have shared their experience, strength and hope as it relates to alcoholism and drug addiction, I thank you for your courage and welcome and for all those who came before us, and for those who have followed, thank you."**

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