Horror movie icon Jamie Lee Curtis stars as Dean Cathy Munsch in Fox’s much anticipated new series Scream Queens premiering on September 22, 2015. The series, which comes from Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story, Glee), Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan, is a blend of horror, comedy, and mystery. At the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con Curtis added to that description, saying Scream Queens isn’t what you’d expect and will keep the audience on their toes as they attempt to figure out each character.
“It is a wild ride and it has no reflection on a classic horror trope. It is wickedly funny and deeply dark, and a little violent and super fashion-y. Everything you think about a character does not add up. You think you know Dean Munsch and then by the end of the episode you’re [questioning that],” explained Curtis. “It is not a classic horror trope at all.”
Curtis’ co-stars include Emma Roberts, Lea Michele, Abigail Breslin, Oliver Hudson, Keke Palmer, and Nick Jonas, with Michele and Roberts describing Curtis as the group’s den mother, their protector, and incredibly supportive. Curtis returned the compliments, saying, “I’m 56 years old. I have a 28-year-old daughter and a 19-year-old son who’s walking around Comic-Con dressed as Trafalgar Law from One Piece. Believe me, I’m going to nest with my little birds.
The first scene I have is with Emma Roberts in my office, and that was the first scene we shot. It’s a six-page dialogue scene ping-pong match between the two of us. And I’m telling you, it was like, ‘Hi, I’m Jamie.’ ‘I’m Emma.’ Sit down and it’s like, ‘Okay, let’s shoot this.’ And it was like, ‘Okay, boom, let’s hit it!’ And this girl starts hitting ping pong balls at me and I’m like, ‘Whoa, damn! I better pay attention here.’ No warm-up. She is firing aces at me and I’m thinking, ‘I really got to be on my game here.’ 7:15 in the morning in New Orleans on the first day, and that’s how it’s been with every one of them.”
“Each of these girls has inhabited these people. They’ve eaten them. They are just…it’s like garlic breath. They are just giving it back to you every second. It’s really extraordinary. I think it just is a testament to a professionalism that young people actually do have that we kind of take for granted. I think it really speaks to Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan who have created this sort of triumvirate of talent that are very clear. ‘We will give it to you. You need to give it back.’ Therefore it means give it back, know your sh*t, and deliver it. And that’s how I’ve had an experience with every one of these girls.”
Reflecting on her career and on the genre that launched it, Curtis expressed a three-decades-long fondness for horror fans who’ve supported her since she was 19. “I’ve always tried to maintain the idea that we’re all trying to get our footing in show business. I don’t care who you are. When you start out young, you try to get your footing in the business. And for me I landed on a mountaintop at 20. What supported me was a genre that I didn’t particularly like.
I’m not a horror film fan, but the genre supported my work,” explained Curtis. “For as long as I’ve been working, I understand that without them I wouldn’t have a career and I’m grateful. I’m grateful to this unbelievably loyal, devoted fan base – gentle fan base. And so for me, it’s a return to them and it’s like going home again. It’s like coming home to your very big crazy, loud, fun extended family who loves you. That’s how I feel.”
- Interview with Scream Queens Star Abigail Breslin
- Keke Palmer Interview – Scream Queens, Horror, and Comedy
- Billie Lourd Interview – Scream Queens, Horror Scenes, and Carrie Fisher
- Scream Queens Lea Michele and Emma Roberts Interview
Watch the full interview with Jamie Lee Curtis from Scream Queens:
