A Single Comment On A Movie Set Led Jamie Lee Curtis To Plastic Surgery

Jamie Lee Curtis: the Oscar and two-time Golden Globe winner that never fails to deliver on the big screen in hits like "True Lies," "Freaky Friday," and "A Fish Called Wanda." She also never misses when it comes to her signature style thanks to her iconic pixie haircut. Curtis is also an outspoken advocate for aging gracefully. She once spouted her disdain for the term "anti-aging" in an interview with U.K. morning show "Lorraine": "We're all going to f**king age! We're all going to die? Why do you want to look 17 when you're 70? I want to look 70 when I'm 70."

So it may come as a surprise that Curtis has dabbled in plastic surgery. Sadly, she felt the need to go under the knife after a cameraman on the set of 1985's "Perfect" said that the then-25 year old's eyes looked too puffy. As she explained to Variety in 2019, "I naturally had puffy eyes ... we were shooting a scene in a courtroom with that kind of high, nasty fluorescent light ... and [the cameraman] said, 'I'm not shooting her today. Her eyes are too puffy.'" She added, "I was so mortified and so embarrassed and had just so much shame about it that after that movie, I went and had routine plastic surgery to remove the puffiness."

We appreciate Curtis for being one of the celebs who has been open about having plastic surgery. But even more so, we laud her candid remarks about how she regretted her decision.

Following a single comment on a movie set that led Jamie Lee Curtis to get plastic surgery on her eyes, she was given a prescription for painkiller and opiate Vicodin. She took the pills, which she washed down with wine at times, for a decade before seeking help. She entered rehab in February 1999 and has remained sober since, inspiring us with her words about sobriety, her fortitude, and vulnerability.

When Curtis shared her story of addiction and recovery with Variety, she explained that Vicodin was hardly necessary following her plastic surgery because it "wasn't really painful." The pain and scars from this era appear to be on the inside, and show how a thoughtless comment about a young woman's looks can have deeper repercussions. "I've been very vocal about the genocide of a generation of women by the cosmeceutical industrial complex, who've disfigured themselves," she said in a 2025 interview with The Guardian. Speaking on "60 Minutes" earlier in the year, she noted that she "regretted [the plastic surgery] immediately" and had "kind of sort of regretted it since." Whether Curtis has inspired only one actor, or perhaps a whole generation, to embrace their looks and battle aging stereotypes in Hollywood, it's a fight we commend her for.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).