Jamie Lee Curtis signed on as a spokesperson for Activia, L’eggs and more during a successful moment in her career because the gigs “allowed” her to stay home with daughters Ruby and Annie
“I am an imperfect, you know, working mom, because no working moms are perfect,” the star said while reflecting on the period
Curtis shares Ruby and Annie, now 25 and 34, with husband Christopher Guest
Much like her iconic film roles, Jamie Lee Curtis’ spokesperson era was an unforgettable chapter of her career. It was also for a very good reason.
While appearing on Sunday on 60 Minutes this Mother’s Day, May 11, Curtis, 66, opened up about several eras of her career, including the period she starred in commercials for pantyhose brand L’eggs, car rental company Hertz and, perhaps most famously, yogurt brand Activia.
When asked why she began taking on these kinds of spokesperson deals, especially in the wake of True Lies’ commercial success, Curtis answered, “For the most part, because they allowed me to stay home with my kids.”
The star — who shares daughters Ruby, 25, and Annie, 34, with husband Christopher Guest — added, “I am an imperfect, you know, working mom, because no working moms are perfect.”
As she continued to reflect on her time as an “imperfect” working mom, the Oscar winner began to get visibly emotional.
“We make it look good. We think we’ve done it, but the truth is we feel badly,” the actress said, “but I know how much time away from them I spent in pursuit of my own creativity.”
The 60 Minutes interview wasn’t the first in which Curtis opened up about her years as a spokesperson, and particularly her Activia ads, which Kristen Wiig memorably parodied on Saturday Night Live.
The star previously discussed the commercial-heavy era of her career in a 2021 episode of podcast The Kingcast, revealing that prior to it, she struggled greatly during her time away from Guest, 77, and their young daughters.
Being on set and not with her family, she explained, “really took a toll” on her. This struggle, the Halloween star explained at the time, “is the reason that I sold yogurt that makes you s— for seven years.”
“I’ve been doing commercials for a very, very, very long time, partially so I can ameliorate all of that distance from my family,” she continued. “It allowed me to earn money and stay home.”
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Ruby Guest, Christopher Guest, Jamie Lee Curtis and Annie Guest in 2022
While balancing family and work, she recalled, Curtis thought to herself, “How do you do this? How do you be a mom, how do you be a wife, how do you have a career, how do you have to go away from home, how do you do it?”
“No matter what, I felt bad,” the actress said.
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In recent years, Curtis’ film career has continued to thrive, and she has continued to prioritize her family along the way.
After winning her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her Everything Everywhere All at Once role in 2023, the star gave both Guest and their two daughters a shout-out during her acceptance speech.
“To my family, my beautiful husband, Christopher Guest, our daughters, Annie and Ruby … we just won an Oscar,” Curtis said at the time.
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