1. $1.95
April 2016
Jamie Lee CurtisJamie Lee Curtis
LUNCH
WITH
AMERICA’S
SCREAM
QUEEN
WOMEN TAKE THE
RANCHING REINS
plus

2. An underachieving student relegated to the dancing chorus
in her high school production of “Oklahoma!,” award-winning
actress Jamie Lee Curtis first got an inkling that she might have a
unique presence in front of an audience when the play’s director
pulled her aside for a special assignment.
“He told me that in the original production, there was a fea-
tured dancer in all the big crowd scenes – a girl in a polka-dot
dress who would run out, giggle, shake her skirt and run off with
three boys
chasing
her,” Curtis
remem-
bered. “He
said that he
wanted me
to be that
girl and to
take my
own cue to
run, giggle,
shake
whenever
a crowd
scene
seemed a
little dull.
It was the
first indica-
tion that
someone
thought I had something to offer, and I’ve carried that with me
my whole life.”
Making up for what she describes as a lack of academic acu-
men, Curtis discovered she could be entertaining instead of
“smart.” “I’ve been a ham since I was a child,” she said. “I needed
a lot of attention. I learned early that I could crack jokes and
quips. I was a natural actor. My antennae are as attuned as any
human being I’ve ever met. I’m constantly aware of everything
around me. My observational and interpretive skills have served
me well. I would have made a fantastic investigator.”
Though the world may have lost a great detective, it gained
a popular screen star. Curtis first grabbed attention at 20 years
old for her memorable role in the classic horror film “Hallow-
een.” She has come full circle at age 58, co-starring in Fox’s
“Scream Queens” as the cynical Dean Munsch, a role for which
she received a Golden Globe award nomination earlier this year.
“‘Scream Queens’ is incredibly fun,” she said. “Ryan Murphy, the
producer, called me and asked me to do this show. I’ve found in
my career that when people come to me for me, for whatever it
is I do, it has worked out well. For example, with ‘A Fish Called
Wanda,’ John Cleese called me up and said, ‘I’m going to write a
movie part for you. How would you like to do it?’ It was the same
with ‘True Lies.’ Jim Cameron said, ‘I wrote this for you.’ The
roles that found their way to me turned out to be the most fun.”
Curtis noted that in between the highlight reels of blockbuster
movies and Golden Globe and Emmy awards and nominations,
it hasn’t all been easy. “There were fallow periods of doing work
I didn’t like or not particularly good work or no work,” she said.
She noted that she has served as an advertising spokesperson for
many products, making commercials at a time when other film
stars wouldn’t consider such assignments. Instead, she viewed it
as an endorsement of her personality and screen presence that
corporations would seek her out as someone who resonates with
others.
Even as an artist with a long list of film and television credits
and an author of 10 children’s books, Curtis does not consider
herself a celebrity. A child of two famous actors, Tony Curtis and
Janet Leigh, Curtis said “being a celebrity” is something she has
fought her whole life. “Every room I’ve walked into, people knew
who I was because of my parents,” she said. “I felt the immediate
judgment and assumptions – snobby, entitled, spoiled. I’ve spent
my life developing my own integrity.”
Under the same pressures as all women, but intensified by the
faux reality of Hollywood, Curtis had to find her way to self-
6 April 2016 | THEVIPMAG.COM
vip feature
Tune in Next Week
Jamie Lee Curtis’s
Journey of Self-Awareness
a seeker
by CHERYL P. ROSE
Jamie Lee
Curtis as
a featured
dancer in her
high school’s
production of
“Oklahoma!”
in 1976.
an entertainer

3. THEVIPMAG.COM | April 2016 7
“I live by the phrase
‘more will be revealed.’
I have to just be open
and responsible for
myself and my actions.
Self-esteem is not go-
ing to come from the
outside. In my opinion,
it comes from perform-
ing esteemable acts.”
esteem and integrity. To keep up with the show-business
youth culture, Curtis had some routine plastic surgery.
An unfortunate byproduct was an addiction to painkillers.
Now 17 years sober, that experience coupled with other
highs and lows has brought Curtis to a place where she
is comfortable with who she is and who she is becoming.
“I live by the phrase ‘more will be revealed,’” she said. “I
have to just be open and responsible for myself and my
actions. Self-esteem is not going to come from the outside.
In my opinion, it comes from performing esteemable acts.
We are each alone – even if you’re married, even if you
have a family of 20. We have to find out who we are, and
most of that awareness comes from service to others. You
start to feel better when you do something for someone
else. I try to recognize that in my writing and the public
way I live my life and the actions I do every day.”
Curtis describes herself as an early riser, a voracious
reader, a devoted closet organizer and an idea genera-
tor. She also loves the outdoors and bike rides with her
husband of 32 years, actor/director/screenwriter Christo-
pher Guest. They have two children, Annie, 30, and Tom,
20. “I’m a very quiet person,” she said. “I sit by myself a
lot even though I am also a true people-person. I enjoy
people. I can be wacky, but also quiet.
a sister

4. LiveWell Women’s Conference
Presented by CHRISTUS Hospital – St. Elizabeth
St. Mary and CHRISTUS Jasper Memorial Hospital
With the goal of improv-
ing the overall health of the
community, CHRISTUS
Hospitals offer the ninth an-
nual conference dedicated
to helping women find
wellness in all areas of life,
from hobbies to parent-
ing to health. Open to the
public, the full-day confer-
ence includes a selection
of breakout sessions,
shopping in the Market
Square and luncheon
with keynote speaker Ja-
mie Lee Curtis. The day
concludes with a session
with Texas natives Amie
and Jolie Sikes, better
known as the “Junk Gypsies,” stars of Great Ameri-
can Country and HGTV.
when
Thursday, May 12, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
where
Ford Park
5115 Interstate 10 South Beaumont, TX 77705
how to register
Registration is under way. Tickets are $50.
Registration ends May 5.
Online at www.christuslivewell.org
Call 409.899.7700 for more information.
A Sampling of Breakout Offerings:
Some of the Free Health Screenings Available:
8 April 2016 | THEVIPMAG.COM
Jamie Lee Curtis grew up in Southern California, the
daughter of actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. In her early
years of acting, Curtis was famously dubbed a “scream queen”
for her roles in a series of horror films, such as “Halloween”
and “Prom Night.” However, Curtis won viewers’ hearts for her
comedic turns in several cinematic favorites including “Freaky
Friday,” “True Lies,” “Trading Places” and “A Fish Called
Wanda.” In television, Curtis co-starred opposite Richard Lewis
in the sitcom “Anything But Love,” as well as the title role in
TNT’s adaptation of Wendy Wasserstein’s play, “The Heidi
Chronicles,” and the CBS telefilm “Nicholas’ Gift.” She recently
appeared on “NCIS” and “New Girl.” She is currently starring
on Fox’s new hit series, “Scream Queens,” which premiered
September 2015 and has been renewed for another season.
Though she may be an American screen queen, Curtis is also
officially a lady with a capital “L” in the United Kingdom. Her
British-born husband, Christopher Guest, inherited a peerage
title in 1998, becoming the fifth Baron Haden-Guest and Curtis
became Lady Haden-Guest.
In addition to acting, Curtis is also an author of best-selling
children’s stories, having sold over five million books, including
“Today I Feel Silly” and “Tell Me Again About The Night I Was
Born.” She published her 10th book, “My Brave Year of Firsts:
Tries, Sighs and High Fives,” in 2012. “I didn’t think I would
ever write a book,” Curtis said. “I wasn’t anticipating the idea
for the first book. Every single book I’ve ever published popped
into my head unexpectedly and arrived in a flow and complete.”
Nor is Curtis’ creativity limited to artistic pursuits. She has
even patented a diaper she invented that includes a waterproof
compartment for baby wipes.
Curtis also devotes time to volunteering for causes and
organizations she cares deeply about. She has an active
connection to many children’s charities. As a recovering
alcoholic and addict, Curtis was honored to have served on the
Board of Directors of CASA (the National Center on Addiction
and Substance Abuse at Columbia University) and the Scott Hitt
Foundation.
a Queen, a Lady, and
a Renaissance Woman
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• Health Hub: Get a chance to speak directly with
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cancer and orthopedic pain.
• Innovation Station: Experience the most advanced
healthcare options available in Southeast Texas.
For a girl who could barely crawl her way out of high school, I
have had success in myriad fields.”
Her passion for service includes not only volunteer work, but
sharing openly about her own challenges. “If I’m out talking
about addiction, going gray, plastic surgery and other struggles,
then I hope we can relate to each other rather than seeing me
as someone different and special,” she said. “I hope you will see
me as a sister in the struggle, coping with parenting, marriage,
sobriety and elderly parents.”
When Curtis visits Beaumont, she hopes that talking about her
personal experiences and sharing the self-knowledge she has
acquired along the way will connect with others. “My only goal is
that by the end of my address, we will all feel a little better when
we leave,” she said.