Jamie Lee Curtis Tears Up Describing The Single Greatest Legacy She Hopes To Leave Her Family
It doesn't involve Hollywood, at all.
During a conversation with fellow actor Colin Farrell for Variety's "Actor on Actor" series in December 2022, actress Jamie Lee Curtis expressed what she hoped her legacy would be for her family.
Jamie Lee Curtis teared up while describing the hope of her sobriety being the single greatest legacy to leave her family.
Curtis, who is most known for her leading role in the "Halloween" franchise, has also been fairly honest and open about her past struggles with addiction and finally becoming sober. During Curtis and Farrell's conversation, the "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once," actress praised Farrell for his performance in "The Banshees of Inisherin," and at one point, Farrell, who also struggled with addiction, was asked if the lessons of "redemption," "reconciliation," and "healing" were ones he knew "before [he] got sober."
Farrell admitted that he "had suspicions, before I got sober, of how painful life could be."
"But I had no ability to hold that without being self-destructive and without living in it," Farrell explained. "I don't live in that now. I feel these things that we're talking about, at times. And I consider life greatly at times. And other times, I'm as frivolous as I was when I was six years old on a good day."
"The Batman" actor then asked Curtis what legacy means to her, which she said is something she "thinks about a lot."
"Being sober is going to be a legacy, for sure," she added. "Because I'm stopping what has been a generational issue in my biological family. It'll be the single greatest thing I do if I can stay sober. Because generations of people have had their lives ruled and ruined by alcoholism and drug addiction. For me, sobriety first. Always."
Curtis also said sobriety's "gift" translated to the idea that "the rules apply to you just like they apply to other people. That's what legacy is: making friends and loving your people really well."
Jamie Lee Curtis previously admitted that without her sobriety journey, she'd "be dead."
During a July 2023 interview on the "Morning Joe," Curtis opened up about how many of her "worst days" were "invisible to anyone else."
"I'm lucky. I didn't make terrible decisions high or under the influence that then, for the rest of my life, I regret," she said. "There are women in prison whose lives have been shattered by drugs and alcohol, not because they were violent felons, not because they were horrible people, but because they were addicts."
The 65-year-old explained that sobriety made everything "crystal and clear" for her. "I was an opiate addict, and I liked a good opiate buzz," she shared. "And if fentanyl was available, as easily available as it is today on the street, I'd be dead."
Curtis' addiction lasted until 1999, and while speaking with Variety for their Recovery Issue, the actress said that she'd been "nursing a secret Vicodin addiction" for 10 years before getting help.
"The day I went to that first recovery meeting. It’s too personal to say what exactly was said, but my entire family has been supportive and very appreciative of the efforts that I have put forth to achieve sobriety and hold on to it," Curtis told the publication. "They see how much I try to work it and try to talk to other people and be a part of a community of people who are in recovery."
Jamie Lee Curtis' admittance to her previous struggles and the hope that when she's no longer here, her family will be proud of her sobriety and how much resilience and strength it's taken her to stay on this path of recovery is inspiring. It proves that no matter what, if you're struggling or if you feel that you can't do it, it's a possible endeavor for anyone because the cycle of addiction shouldn't have to define your life.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, help is available. Reach out 24/7 to SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), or text 435748 (HELP4U) to find help near you.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.