What Jamie Lee Curtis Looks Forward to Most About Aging

Jamie Lee Curtis, 67, dreads the impact of technology on modern beauty standards—but she still feels optimistic about the experience of aging.

On the December 11 episode of NPR’s Wild Card with Rachel Martin podcast, the Oscar-winning actress discussed the impact of AI, growing up with her famous mother, and getting unconventional compliments from Jeff Goldblum.

Upon the host asking what she looks forward to most about aging, Curtis offered some of her signature good-natured humor, joking that she’s excited for her increasingly thin skin. “The ‘thin skin’ thing is super fun,” she said, laughing.

Taking a more serious tone, Curtis slammed the “cosmeceutical industrial complex,” a topic she has long voiced frustration over. (In July, she blamed the plastic surgery industry for the “disfigurement of generations of predominantly women,” claiming that this offense is “aided and abetted by [artificial intelligence].”) The actress told Martin that while she does, in fact, care about her appearance, she nevertheless strives to live an authentic life.

“When I look in the mirror, I am looking at the problem,” Curtis said. “I’m looking at the solution. I can’t filter the mirror.”

Curtis continued, “You can’t hide the truth. We are who we are. And that is what I have tried to say when I say, ‘I don’t care.’ I don’t care about hiding from the truth anymore.”

The Freakier Friday star also recounted posing in her underwear in 2002 for the since-defunct More magazine without airbrushing or Photoshop. This was a big deal at the time, but Curtis points out that these two longstanding (and oft-maligned) editing techniques are now seen as relics of a bygone era.

“The word ‘Photoshop’ is like an 8-track,” she said, pointing to the sharp increase in imagery altered by artificial intelligence and Facetune.

The actress also spoke at length about her admiration for her late mother, Bye Bye Birdie star Janet Leigh, who passed away in 2004. Curtis recalled a piece she wrote for More Magazine titled “Bye Bye Beauty,” which paid tribute to Leigh.

“I refer to her at the beginning of [the article] as ‘the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen: my mama,” she said. “Just incredible beauty, my mommy.”

Still, growing up in the shadow of a stunning silver-screen icon can take its toll on anyone. When Martin asked Curtis about the impact her mother’s beauty had on her, she said, “That’s a hard sort of example to have, growing up, when you don’t feel beautiful. You feel kind of cute, at best.” However, she emphasized that her mother’s beauty went beyond skin-deep.

“She was just a beautiful person,” Curtis said. “And very lucky, and sort of shocked that she got to have this life.”

Curtis also shared a charming anecdote about fellow actor Jeff Goldblum, 73. “He complimented me on my hands and my short nails that I had,” Curtis recalled. “Maybe he has a hand thing. He’s a terrific guy.”