Checking In

Jamie Lee Curtis has appeared in so many recent fright flicks ("Halloween," "Prom Night," "Terror Train," "The Fog" and the upcoming "Halloween II") that she's been dubbed the new queen of the horror genre. Of course, she always plays the good girl. David Rensin met with the daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh in a Los Angeles sushi bar. His report: "Her screams are music to my ears."

[Q] Playboy: What really scares you?

[A] Curtis: Horror films. I never go. I loathe them. I just don't like being scared. I don't like something jumping out at me. It's got nothing to do with gratuitous violence or anything. I don't mind seeing heads thrown around. I don't mind seeing blood coming out of someone's mouth. I don't mind seeing things in eyes--well, I mind it, but I can watch; I can watch Linda Blair's head turn around. But if I was walking down the hall and someone went "Boo!" I'd hate that. I'd absolutely die.

[Q] Playboy: Do you sleep with a night light on?

[A] Curtis: No. Actually, I sleep with a basset hound between my legs. And I have a cockapoo. I'm very well protected.

[Q] Playboy: You're 23. Your generation has been called blank. Do you agree?

[A] Curtis: When I grew up, I had nothing in common with anybody. There was nothing binding us. No force, no important music. We had Shaun Cassidy. I mean, no offense to Shaun--because I knew him, went to school with him. But we had nothing. I mean, if we all went out to dinner, say five people, we'd have nothing to talk about to get us excited. No music, movies. Disco. What else did we have in the Seventies?

[Q] Playboy: Do you jog?

[A] Curtis: I just drove by a bunch of runners on the way here. It gets me very spaced. So instead of running, I just drive by. My heart gets going, you know, trying to dodge the runners. Cardiovascularly, it's better exercise.

[Q] Playboy: Ever been asked to do anything in a script that you wouldn't?

[A] Curtis: Jiggle shots? Bouncing up and down? Yeah, I've been asked to take my clothes off a number of times. Somebody once realized I had tits. [She cups her breasts in her hands. Writer swallows a piece of sushi whole.] They'd never seen them before, because I always played the little 16-year-old. But once there was a picture of me somewhere and my tits were showing. And my agent got all these calls like, "Hey, hey, hey. Boy, oh, boy! The girl's got tits!" I play strong, independent, intelligent women, not women who take their clothes off. I don't swear too much or walk around in Dittos and T-shirts, either.

[Q] Playboy: In most recent horror movies--especially the ones such as Halloween and Prom Night--there seems to be an implicit, subliminal message to kids: You fuck, you die.

[A] Curtis: In Halloween, it was not intended that way. What we dealt with there was sexual repression. If there's any message in the film, it's that Laurie's losing her virginity is her way of coming out. In Prom Night, the little virgin on the locker-room bench says no. But she gets it, anyway. Look, I think young people are going to fuck if they want to, and I don't think anyone's going to stop them. I mean, good girls do it all the time. I was very good until I was 18--and then I got better. I went through high school intact. But I've got to tell you, there was a lot of never-ending pressure to give it up and I understand it's getting worse and worse.

[Q] Playboy: Should women be more careful these days?

[A] Curtis: I think women should always be careful. They're just naturally in a more vulnerable position when it comes to any sort of sexual thing. I'm sorry, but it's natural. It's primal, that dynamic between men and women. A lot of women's groups have asked me to make comments about women and violence. The violence is real, of course, and in the sense of those maniac-type movies, they're right. But I also have to disagree with these groups somewhat about the movies' exploiting the violence against women. Or creating it. It's primal. No one twists people's arms and makes them see these movies. The simplest thing would be to give them an X rating. The kids couldn't go and the movie wouldn't make money. But I wouldn't censor them. I believe in the volcano theory. Little tremors release lots of pressure. Repression, on the other hand....

[Q] Playboy: Which of your parents told you about sex?

[A] Curtis: My mom, I'm sure. I have a terrific mom. I told this once on The Tonight Show and got yelled at for saying it, but I guess I can say it again: The day I lost my virginity, I told my mother right afterward. We were that open about it.

[Q] Playboy: What happened?

[A] Curtis: She cried, said, "Pretty great. Are you all right?" I said, "Yeah! I'm gonna go now. I want to do some more!" We've been real open ever since I was young.

[Q] Playboy: Ever think your boyfriends were more interested in your mom than in you?

[A] Curtis: Maybe in my parents, in general. I was pretty cute.

[Q] Playboy: Do you think your dad is underrated as an actor?

[A] Curtis: My mom, too. Actually, underrated is the wrong word. It's a very hard business. And growing old in it is hard, especially when you're looked at a lot. I think because of my dad's feelings about Hollywood sometimes, that he's gotten a bad reputation. But I think some of his work is outstanding. I mean, Some Like It Hot was wonderful.

[Q] Playboy: What's the worst thing you remember about dating?

[A] Curtis: Dating? I hate dating. Loathe it. Remember when Woody Allen suddenly asked Diane Keaton to kiss him on their date in Annie Hall? I do that. I do not want to spend the evening wondering when, or if my breath is fresh. Besides, all those weeks of hemming and hawing. I know the minute I look at someone if I want to spend time with him. I'm open and honest up front. I don't like small talk. I guess I'm just a terrible date.

[Q] Playboy: It depends. What TV shows do you like?

[A] Curtis: I like Eight Is Enough once in a while. I can be drawn into it all easily. I'm as gullible as the next guy. But, generally, I've just gotten fed up. I'm disappointed in all the product that's coming out--even that it's called product. Mainly, I like reruns of old shows. I mean, I Love Lucy. It's like the old Ford Mustang. Why can't we come up with stuff like that anymore?