Jamie Lee Curtis calls herself a ‘dot-connector’ as she cements her handprints
By Mike Bedigan, PA Los Angeles Correspondent
Jamie Lee Curtis reflected on how “a lot of beautiful dots were connecting” in her life, as she placed her handprints in cement at the TCL Chinese Theatre.
The actress, 63, became emotional as she thanked her family and friends and said how “proud” she was to be part of their lives.
Curtis, whose career spans almost five decades, is known for her roles in Hollywood horror films and has seen her proclaimed as a “scream queen”.
The hand and footprint ceremony on Wednesday comes ahead of the release of her latest horror film, Halloween Ends, which arrives in theatres on Friday.
In the film, she reprises the role of Laurie Strode, after first playing the role in 1978 at the age of 20.
The character of Laurie, conceived and written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, has become the defining role of Curtis’ expansive career.
She was joined for the event by fellow actors Melanie Griffith and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who said “millions of people” would be inspired by her achievements.
In her own speech, Curtis hailed herself as a “dot-connector” and a “weapon of mass promotion”.
“Life is good. I have friends. I feel important in their lives,” she said.
“I’m connecting dots personally and professionally and philanthropically, starting to speak, starting to say what I think.”
She added: “Say what you mean, mean what you say. Don’t say it meanly, but mean what you say.”
Speaking about her horror career, she said: “Halloween (the film) changed my life. It gave me a career.
“Obviously I followed with a few horror films and managed to get out of those a lot of beautiful dots connecting.
“(But) it also gave me a creative life that I have been wanting since I was a young young girl.
“If I had a camera here and I took a picture of all this, all of those dots would add up to this moment here.”
Becoming visibly emotional, she added: “I am proud to be the daughter of Janet Lee and Tony Curtis. I am proud to be the wife of Christopher (and) I’m so proud to be the parent of Annie and Ruby.
“And I’m really proud to be a friend to so many people who share everything with me.
“Good, bad, hard, soft, joyful, tragic. Because that’s the beautiful part of life. we’re here together, we’re supposed to help each other.
“Never give up. God bless you all.”
