At the premiere of her new film, Ella McCay, on December 9, Jamie Lee Curtis shared her views on stepping away from Hollywood. The renowned actress expressed a desire to retire before she becomes irrelevant in the industry, stating, “I’m going to leave before you don’t ask me to come anymore,” during an interview with PEOPLE.
The 67-year-old Curtis reflected on her family’s legacy in acting, recalling the struggles her legendary parents, Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, faced as they aged and found fewer opportunities. “I watched both of them lose that life force because of aging and just getting older. They just didn’t have those opportunities, and it was heartbreaking,” she admitted. This personal history has shaped her decision to consider retirement proactively.
Curtis, who has previously announced her retirement multiple times, emphasized her wish to exit simply and gracefully. “I just don’t want to have the same sad feeling of missing out on the thing that gave me my life force,” she noted, expressing gratitude for her current success in her career. During her conversations, she emphasized the importance of knowing when to make an exit, stating, “I’m trying to make sure I check my boxes off before I go.”
Accompanied by her husband Christopher Guest at the premiere, Curtis highlighted her contentment with her recent critical successes and the joy she finds in her work, celebrating the fact that these accomplishments are happening at this stage of her life. Ella McCay, Curtis’s new film, hits theaters on December 12, marking another chapter in her illustrious career while she contemplates her future in Hollywood.