Jamie Lee Curtis: On Growing Older & Wiser

Four years ago, Jamie Lee Curtis made magazine history by revealing her true body -- even a poochy midriff -- in More. Could she get any more real? She could. She does.

By Amy Wallace

Jamie Lee Curtis Gets Real

The first thing I notice is her hair. When she greets me at the door of her Santa Monica home one overcast afternoon, Jamie Lee Curtis's hair is cropped, as it has been for as long as anyone can remember. But instead of the golden brown she maintained for years with the help of a colorist, it is now mostly silver and 100 percent chemical-free. At 47, this actress turned children's book author makes no secret of her desire to get real. Her hair is only the latest sign of how well she's succeeding.

Four years ago, Curtis and I collaborated on a piece for More that set off a tidal wave of publicity. The article was titled "True Thighs" -- a twist on the title of Curtis's 1994 movie True Lies -- and in it, Curtis did what actresses almost never do: She admitted her flaws. In the accompanying photographs, the woman who once starred as an aerobics instructor with a Barbie doll silhouette in a film titled Perfect, revealed she was anything but. Wearing unflattering spandex underwear and not a dab of makeup, Curtis looked straight into the camera, a big smile on her face, her midriff pooching slightly. Tired of the hype, she said, she wanted to reveal herself, thighs and all.

The article was pegged to the publication of her fifth book for children, I'm Gonna Like Me: Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem, a funny, wise primer on the importance of being your own biggest fan. But Curtis's decision to expose herself was more than a publicity stunt. It was an earnest attempt to remove herself from the swirl of celebrity that makes so many women -- including Curtis -- feel they can't measure up.

This time when we sit down in the dining room of the home she shares with her husband, actor-director Christopher Guest, and their 10-year-old son, Tommy (their older daughter, Annie, is away at college), the occasion is Curtis's seventh book, Is There Really a Human Race?, which hits stores this month. Before we get started, I have something for her: a copy of a pricey college textbook, The Meanings of Dress, in which the 2002 More article is reprinted. I assume she has seen the book before, but flipping to the page that shows the photos of her, she's clearly stunned. I realize that for all the accolades she has won as an actress and as a best-selling author, Curtis is still surprised to discover that she has been taken seriously.