Jodie Foster described her “bestie” Jamie Lee Curtis as “inventive, fearless and full of surprises” as Disney bestowed Legends status upon the Oscar-winning actress.
Foster starred in the original 1976 film adaptation of Freaky Friday, about a mother and daughter who switch bodies, before Lindsay Lohan took over the role in the 2003 version – which featured Curtis in the role of her mother.
Appearing on stage to introduce the award during the company’s biennial fan convention D23, Lohan said “the magic of Jamie Lee Curtis is that she is timeless”.
Foster said Curtis is thoughtful, generous and a supportive cheerleader.
“She is inventive, fearless, and full of surprises,” Foster added, before recalling when Curtis spoke at her wedding, presented her with a Golden Globe and pushed her hands and feet in cement outside the TCL Chinese Theatre.
Curtis, who won an Oscar last year for her role in Everything Everywhere All At Once, became emotional when accepting the Disney award.
“The truth is, legends aren’t formed, they’re created when they’re nurtured and educated,” Curtis said.
She concluded her speech singing the words to her favourite Disney ride, the Carousel of Progress, inviting the audience to “listen to the words, because the truth is, that’s why I am here.”
“There’s a great, big, beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day. Yes it’s a great, big, beautiful tomorrow and tomorrow’s just a dream away,” she sang.
“Man has a dream and that’s the start, he follows his dream with mind and heart, and when that dream becomes a reality, it’s a dream come true for you and me.”
Things just got freakier. #FreakierFriday, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, is coming to theaters in 2025.pic.twitter.com/E3IA8RaaZy
— Disney (@Disney) August 10, 2024
Curtis and Lohan revealed the title of the sequel to Freaky Friday during a previous D23 event.
Curtis promised fans that Freakier Friday will be “more fun and more emotional”, featuring the return of Chad Michael Murray and Mark Harmon as well as the band Pink Slip – fronted by Lohan’s character in the original film.
In the sequel, Lohan’s character Anna Coleman has a daughter of her own.
During her introduction, Lohan said Curtis “always brings something unique to the role”, adding: “I feel so blessed to have Jamie as a friend in my life, and I feel lucky to work with a woman that I admire so much.”
Freaky Friday is based on a 1972 novel by Mary Rodgers, with the film’s sequel set to be released in 2025.
