The David Gordon Green-helmed Halloween trilogy saw the return of Jamie Lee Curtis in her iconic O.G. Final Girl role of Laurie Strode. Many believed, Curtis included, that Halloween: Resurrection would mark the conclusion of the scream queen’s reign in the slasher franchise. However, with the unexpected facilitation of one MCU star, the actress could eventually return to the series.
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And the individual was none other than the True Lies alum’s godson, Jake Gyllenhaal. In an interview with SFX Magazine, Curtis revealed that she had not expected to come back to the franchise that solidified her standing in the horror genre upon her film debut. However, a fateful phone call from the Spider-Man: Far From Home star soon changed everything for the actress.
Jamie Lee Curtis’ Return To Halloween Was Through Jake Gyllenhaal
For over 40 years, Jamie Lee Curtis‘ life was intricately intertwined with the Halloween franchise, with her first outing in 1978 impacting her career considerably and marking the beginning of it all. The actress has acted in seven of the thirteen films that make up the series. And her 2022 outing, Halloween Ends, marked her ultimate departure from the role of Laurie Strode.
But the star has learned a valuable lesson: writing off the chance of a future comeback would be “stupid” since Hollywood properties and slasher series have a knack for coming back to life. This sentiment comes from Curtis’ experience of thinking she had been done with Halloween, only for it to return to her life in 2017 through an unexpected call.
Jake Gyllenhaal ultimately served as a conduit for his godmother’s return in David Gordon Green’s 2018 film Halloween.
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In an interview with SFX Magazine, the Freaky Friday alum shared:
“I was sitting in the exact place I am sitting right now when my phone rang, and it was Jake Gyllenhaal. I picked up the phone, and he said, ‘Hey Jame, my friend David Gordon Green’ – who he had just worked with on the movie Stronger – ‘would like to talk to you about a Halloween movie.'”
She further affirmed that she had never deemed it imaginable to commit to another film in the series:
“That was in 2017, in the summer. The last thing I thought five years ago that I would be doing would be a Halloween movie.”
Extending the opportunity to Jamie Lee Curtis ultimately set off a series of events that transformed the actress’ life. She was triumphant in establishing partnerships with prominent individuals in the industry, delving deeper into the creative process, and finding new projects to work on and produce. Gyllenhaal’s contribution inadvertently revived a previously dying franchise and helped bring back the face with whom the viewers’ journey through the series commenced.
Jake Gyllenhaal’s Phone Call Changed Jamie Lee Curtis’ Life
During the same interview, Curtis reflected on the shifts and advancements she encountered in her career when she decided to rejoin the franchise following Jake Gyllenhaal’s pivotal phone call. Surrounded by creative people, the actress found working on the David Gordon Green-helmed trilogy personally gratifying and enjoyable. It also helped the star engage in a different playing field after having her love for the genre rekindled.
Following was the 65-year-old’s statement:
“And here I am, having now completed three of them with a fantastic creative group of people. That has not only been satisfying for me personally and creatively, but it has launched me creatively into a whole other world. I have a creative life now because of the ‘Halloween’ movie and the success.”
Continuing, she affirmed:
“I now have a partnership with Jason Blum at Blumhouse. I have a production company, I’ve written a horror film that I will direct, I am producing television series, I am buying books. All of that was the last thing I thought I would be doing five years ago. So, to say never is stupid.”
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The actress signing up for 2018’s Halloween proved uber-fruitful. The direct sequel to the original 1978 film disregards all the installments that came before it and that worked in its favor, consistency and storytelling-wise. Critics deemed it the best entry in the franchise since the first movie. It was a commercial triumph, becoming the highest-grossing pursuit in the series, and two additional sequels were subsequently produced: Halloween Kills (2021) and Halloween Ends (2022).
The follow-up endeavors were met with a mixed reception, but David Gordon Green’s trilogy maintained its strong standing at the box office.
Laurie Strode’s journey has seemingly reached its rightful conclusion. Whether or not Ends marks the franchise’s death remains a question yet to be answered. Given its long-standing history of retcons, reboots, and remakes, the slasher genre might not be prepared to let go of Halloween yet.
