Jamie Lee Curtis: Why She's Grateful Mom Said No to 'The Exorcist' at 12

Looking back, the actress said she feels grateful that her mother protected her from stepping into the world of horror movies at such a young age.

Jamie Lee Curtis spoke about this while appearing on The Drew Barrymore Show, as reported by PEOPLE. During the conversation, she discussed how a producer once wanted her to audition for the famous horror film 'The Exorcist' when she was just 12 years old. At that time, Curtis said she was "cute," "sassy," and had a lot of personality, which caught the producer's eye. However, her mother, Janet Leigh, shut down the opportunity.

"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. I'm sure he saw me at a party and was like, 'Oh, she'd be funny.' And my mother said, 'No,'" Jamie said while speaking on The Drew Barrymore Show.

Talking about her mother's decision and the importance of having a "childhood," Curtis said she now understands why her mother refused the offer.

"My mom really wanted me to have, thank God, a childhood, which I understand you didn't get. You didn't get that option," she told host Barrymore, who began acting when she was just seven years old in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Meanwhile, 'The Exorcist' role eventually went to Linda Blair, who earned an Academy Award nomination in 1974 for her performance.

Though Curtis missed that early chance, she later became one of the biggest names in horror films. She made her mark with the 1978 film Halloween at the age of 19 and went on to act in movies like The Fog, Prom Night, and Terror Train. She recently returned as Laurie Strode in Halloween Ends in 2022.

- ANI