Following her first-ever Academy Award nomination, actress Jamie Lee Curtis revealed she wouldn’t be participating in all of the events held for nominees. As one cut into her nightly routine, she politely declined her invitation. That being said, she didn’t take the nomination lightly, and found it to be a beautiful link between herself and her late mother.
Despite her initially joking that the show would run too late, she not only showed up to the Oscars, but also won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress!
Jamie Lee Curtis shared a secret on the red carpet
While attending the Independent Spirit Awards in March 2023, Jamie Lee Curtis was stopped by The Hollywood Reporter for a red-carpet interview, to whom she revealed an interesting nugget of information. “I’m going to tell you a secret right now,” she said. “There is a nominees dinner, an Academy Award nominees private dinner on Thursday night that starts at 7:30 PM, and I have declined.”
While Curtis had attended the Oscar nominee luncheon a month prior, she explained why she declined the more recent invitation. “Now you might say, ‘Jamie, you’re nominated for an Academy Award, you’re going to be in the room with only nominees for the Academy Award, and I have declined.’ Why? Because mommy goes to bed early.”
The woman loves her sleep, and the dinner party was past her bedtime. “Cause 7:30 PM is going to be 9:00 PM before we get food, and you know what? There is nothing good happening with me after 9:00 PM,” she continued. “Nothing, zero!”
Landing her first Oscar nomination
After nearly five decades of establishing a successful acting career, Jamie Lee Curtis finally landed her first Oscar nomination. In January 2023, she earned the Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of IRS auditor Deirdre Beaubeirdre in the 2022 film, Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Curtis credited her co-star for the achievement, saying, “Michelle Yeoh is the reason that for the rest of my life, you will say, ‘Oscar-nominated actress Jamie Lee Curtis.'” She’s going up against some stiff competition in the category, including Angela Bassett, Hong Chau, Kerry Condon and co-star Stephanie Hsu, who also starred in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
The special connection Jamie Lee Curtis shares with her mother
In an interview with People, Jamie Lee Curtis opened up about what it felt like to earn an Oscar nomination in the same category as her mother, Janet Leigh.
“You know, I didn’t think about that,” she said. “I mean, I knew it, I was aware of it. I never thought that would happen. Like my parents and their fame and their stardom was so legendary that I’ve never felt like I would be anywhere near the level. It’s a beautiful link. It’s a lineage link.”
Leigh earned the Oscar nomination more than 60 years ago following her role as Marion Crane in the 1960 film, Psycho. Curtis carried on by saying, “Now, yes, I have my own legacy and my own life. But my life, which is my real life, and the fantasy life of showoff business, is not something that I sort of put much attention to.”
A historic win
Although she initially joked she wouldn’t be in attendance at the 2023 Academy Awards, Jamie Lee Curtis not only showed up, but also ended up winning the award for Best Supporting Actress.
She accepted the award to a standing ovation. During her speech, she declared that her win would not have been possible without the help of countless people, stating, “I know it looks like I’m standing up here by myself, but I am not. I am hundreds of people.”
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She also took a moment to shoutout her parents, who were both nominated for Oscars, but never won. “My mother and my father were both nominated for Oscars in different categories,” she explained during her acceptance speech. “And I just won an Oscar!”
We know that wherever her parents are now, they’re proud of their Academy Award-winning daughter.