Jamie Lee Curtis beams about first Emmy win: “Luckiest girl in the world”
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Jamie Lee Curtis has achieved her first Primetime Emmy win. At the 2024 ceremony, the American actor took home the award for ‘Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series’ for her standout performance in The Bear season two episode, ‘Fishes’.
In the sixth episode of season two, The Bear features Jamie Lee Curtis as Donna, the matriarch of the Berzatto family. Set roughly five years before the events of the series, the episode takes place at Christmastime, with Carmy returning home to spend the holidays with his relatives. This incredibly tense episode delves deeper into Carmy and Michael’s troubled relationship with their mother. It culminates in an emotionally charged scene where Donna has a dramatic outburst, driving her car into the house. Clocking in at an extended 66 minutes and featuring a star-studded cast, including John Mulaney, Bob Odenkirk, and Sarah Paulson, it stands out as one of the most memorable episodes across the show’s three seasons.
This triumph at the Emmys emerges as part of a stellar period for Curtis, who took home the Academy Award for ‘Best Supporting Actress’ in 2023 for her performance as Deirdre in the Daniels’ frenetic hit Everything Everywhere All at Once. She’s previously spoken about how the Oscar win changed her life, and now she has opened up on her latest win.
Speaking to Deadline, Curtis reflected on her win for her performance in The Bear, saying she feels like the “luckiest girl in the world”. She revealed that after being an actor since she was 19 and even selling yoghurt for seven years, she never thought she would ever get the chance to do work at “this level of depth and complexity.”
She admitted, “It’s just been the thrill of my creative life these last couple of years.”
Despite expressing doubt about her chances of achieving the coveted EGOT—requiring both a Grammy and a Tony, with Curtis noting she’s never worked on a play and can’t sing—she also acknowledged that she never imagined her current level of success would be possible. Hinting at the unpredictability of life, Curtis suggested that “you can never say never”.
Significantly, Curtis reflected on being a late bloomer and the unrelenting nature of rejection in the industry. She explained: “I think we’re all underestimated. And as actors, you just hustle for a job — any job. Look at my career. I’ve done a lot of weird stuff because I just love the process. This is an industry full of rejection. You are rejected every day — every day — when you’re an actor.”
Regarding the emotional substance of The Bear, she concluded: “You know, there is a saying: Hurt people hurt people. I also think you can add to that: Helped people help people.”
In other Jamie Lee Curtis news, during an August appearance at Comic-Con with her Borderlands castmates, she asserted that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is currently in its “bad” phase.
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