Jamie Lee Curtis, Actress, Producer, Author, and Activist

In this special episode, Willy welcomes Jamie Lee Curtis. She is an actress, producer, director, inventor, and author. With an illustrious career spanning four decades, she has appeared in widely loved films, such as "Halloween," "Trading Places," "True Lies," "Knives Out," and A24's highest-grossing film to date, "Everything Everywhere All At Once." She has starred in numerous sitcoms, such as "Anything But Love," "The Heidi Chronicles," and "Scream Queens." She has written 13 children's books, narrated for Audible's "Letters From Camp," and is the host and producer of "Good Friend," an iHeartMedia podcast. She is an amateur photographer and an advocate for children, animals, and the environment. Happily married for 37 years to Christopher Guest, she now has two adult children. The podcast begins with Jamie sharing her stepfather's influence on her when it comes to business. Bob Brandt was an ex-marine and a self-made businessman who taught Jamie the value of money and the greatest finance lesson of her life: "Save every penny you've ever made." She continues to talk about her mother, Janet Leigh, popularly known as Marion Crane from the cult-classic horror film "Psycho." She remembers her mother as someone who "came from nothing" and was discovered by Tom Cruise but goes out of her way to memorize the names of everyone around her and get to know them deeply – a trait that Jamie has emulated. Jamie's thoughts about social media revolved around it being a poison to the youth and how it should be "about standing for something." She wants to relate to others on both sides as "that's the goal of America." When it comes to comments, she advises, "Don't read the comments. Period. Say what you mean. Mean what you say. Don't say it mean. And get the f*** out." Working with her mother made her strive to honor her parents by doing her best in everything she was set to do. She uncovers a downside to fame as she says, "Fame doesn't disappear…. But what made you famous goes away," expressing her heartbreak over what her parents have experienced in showbiz. Jamie attests to putting one foot out the door so that she can leave anytime if the limelight is not where she belongs anymore. She is grateful for staying relevant even in her sixties. She talks about the difference between earning TV money and movie money. She advises everyone to give their money away while they're still alive and use it to live life to the fullest. "I want to die fully alive… manifest my destiny so I can leave a little bit of goodness in the world before I go. She shares her experience working for Blumhouse for the "Halloween" movies, being "a final girl," and acting with fake blood in most of her films. She retells her fairy-tale-like experience of marrying Christopher Guest and the interesting aspects of filming kiss scenes. She touches on her latest movie, "Everything Everywhere All At Once," and how her friends thought it was "the worst movie they have ever seen." She adds that sitcom work is her favorite job and that James Cameron wrote "True Lies" with her in mind. She describes the director as someone who "can do every single job on a movie except acting, which is why actors love working for him." She developed a close friendship with Arnold Schwarzenegger on set and described the challenges of portraying Helen Tasker. She ends the show with a touching message: "The most important thing is who we are as human beings, with other human beings." Even in today's troubled times, she believes respect and humanity should come first above all else. Tune in to this new episode of the Walker Webcast — Behind the Scenes with Jamie Lee Curtis. ▶️ Listen to the replay! If you have any comments or questions, please reach out to your main Walker & Dunlop point of contact. We are all available to answer questions and provide assistance. Additionally, if you have topics you would like covered during one of our future webcasts, we would be happy to take your suggestions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices