Jamie Lee Curtis had no financial stake in early Halloween films: ‘Someone was making money but it wasn’t me’

Actor said there was ‘no large amount of money made’ during ‘Halloween’ films

Jamie Lee Curtis may be considered one of the queens of horror, but the actor has revealed that she never made much money from the genre.

Appearing in discussion with fellow horror favourite Neve Campbell, the actor told Variety that despite the Halloween franchise making more than $640m (£489m) at the box office, she did not really profit from the original film’s success.

“The truth of the matter is, I didn’t really make much money off of the horror movies,” Curtis, 61, said, adding the caveat that as an actor, she “already [made] more money, just based on the little work we do for the impact” compared to a teacher or nurse.

She continued: “As a young actress, I did not. I did not have ownership in the movies. There was no profit participation, there was no, quote, back end. I didn’t get out for that reason, and certainly by Halloween 2, which was my last of the six that I did when I was in my early 20s, I got paid OK for the time. But there was no large amount of money made.”

As a result, Curtis admitted that she struggled to equate the Halloween franchise’s success with her own, saying: “Obviously someone was making a lot of money [but] it was not me, and it was only [me] in the latter years.”

Curtis as Laurie in 1978’s ‘Halloween' (Rex Features)

Curtis has starred in five Halloween films over the years, the most recent being 2018’s Halloween.

She established her career as scream queen in the 1980s, appearing in projects including The Fog, Terror Train and Prom Night.