Jamie Lee Curtis has opened up about her past addiction struggles, saying she would “be dead” if fentanyl was “easily” available.
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The Oscar-winning actress, best known for starring in films such as Halloween and Everything Everywhere All At Once, admitted in an interview with Morning Joe that she’s “incredibly lucky”, while she also reflecting on her brother’s death due to an overdose.
“My worst day was almost invisible to anyone else,” she admitted. “I’m lucky. I didn’t make terrible decisions high, or under the influence, that then for the rest of my life I regret.
“There are women in prison whose lives have been shattered by drugs and alcohol. Not because they were violent felons, not because they were horrible people, but because they were addicts. I am incredibly lucky that that wasn’t my path.
“I was an opiate addict, and I liked a good opiate buzz,” Curtis continued. “If fentanyl was available, as easily available as it is today on the street, I’d be dead.
“Sobriety just made it all crystal and clear, because I’m so hyperly aware of what the alternative is. I’ve seen it in my own family. My brother at 21 is dead from a heroin overdose.
“Once he was clean and sober, and he went out and used one time, and died from an overdose. He is one of millions and millions of people whose lives have been extinguished because of addiction. My gratitude is enormous, because I have this incredible life.”
Earlier this year, Curtis won an Academy Award for her role in Everything Everywhere All At Once, and after her victory called for more gender parity among the nominees, while also saying award shows can “include everyone when there are binary choices”.
“As the mother of a trans daughter, I completely understand that and yet, to de-gender the category, I’m concerned will diminish the opportunities for more women, which is something I also have been working hard to try and promote,” she said.
“So it’s a complicated question, but I think the most important thing is inclusivity and more women. Basically, more women anywhere, anytime, all at once.”
In an interview in March, the actress called for more matinee concerts, suggesting that artists put on earlier shows.