Jamie Lee Curtis, the 66-year-old actress, recently expressed her complex feelings about the holiday season during an appearance on The View to promote her latest projects, the film The Last Showgirl and the Amazon Prime Video series The Sticky. Curtis humorously referred to herself as “Scrooge’s slightly slutty sister,” acknowledging her “Scrooge-y” sentiments towards the holidays.
While appreciating the festive atmosphere of New York City with its beautifully adorned Christmas tree, Curtis explained that the charm of the season is often overshadowed by the overwhelming sense of obligation. She confessed, “I get the feeling of it. It’s just there’s so much obligation.”
Curtis drew parallels between the holiday season and other large commercial industries, criticizing what she termed the “holiday industrial complex.” She argued that this complex, like the beauty and cosmeceutical industries, pressures individuals into feeling inadequate if they don’t spend excessively or participate in every aspect of the holiday frenzy. “It makes you feel as if you don’t do more, somehow you’re not good enough. And I have to tell you, I’m just over it!” she declared.
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Curtis’s feelings resonate with a significant portion of the population. A 2021 American Psychiatric Association report revealed that approximately 40% of adults experience anxiety about finding holiday gifts, while 46% worry about affording them. Furthermore, 20% of adults associate the holiday season with feelings of stress and anxiety.
Beyond her holiday critique, Curtis also discussed embracing her “bossy” nature later in life. Having started her acting career at 19, she expressed a long-held desire to exert more control over her creative endeavors. Turning 60 served as a catalyst, prompting her to actively pursue projects aligned with her own vision. “I turned 60, and the ‘If not now when, if not me who’ kicked in,” she shared.
This newfound drive led Curtis to produce and star in The Sticky, a comedic heist series centered around a Canadian syrup farmer battling the multi-million dollar maple syrup industry. Curtis was drawn to the script’s dark humor, its compelling narrative, and its element of “craziness.”
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In addition to The Sticky, Curtis stars alongside Pamela Anderson in The Last Showgirl, a Vegas-set drama exploring themes of aging in a youth-obsessed society. The film also features Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka, and Dave Bautista. The Sticky is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video, while The Last Showgirl is available in select theaters.
