From Scream Queen to a Queen of the Screen: The Star Persona of Jamie Lee Curtis

This analysis traces the trajectory of Jamie Lee Curtis’s star persona, which is investigated alongside feminist film theory, an exploration of aging within film, and scholarly works pertaining to classical and contemporary cinematic star studies. Initially emerging as the first notable Final Girl figure within cinema, Curtis has since evolved into a star whose persona embodies feminist ideals and a truthfulness toward the process of aging within the public eye. By analyzing a selection of roles included within her filmography, I work to unpack the many nuances of her star persona and how the perceptions of the aged and aging female star have changed within the industry and in spaces of cinematic discourse. From a fraught babysitter to a dimension-hopping IRS agent, Curtis’s inherent rejection toward the pressures of aesthetic conformity within contemporary Hollywood has undoubtedly distinguished her as a unique star.