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jamie lee curtis wearing glasses and black jacket at othello© Bruce Glikas/Wireimage

Jamie Lee Curtis reveals plastic surgery regret: 'It was very embarrassing'

The Freakier Friday star underwent surgery aged 25

Jenni McKnight
US Lifestyle Editor
May 15, 2025
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Jamie Lee Curtis has revealed her regret over getting plastic surgery after her appearance was criticized on the set of a film.

The 66-year-old confessed that she went under the knife at age 25 after a cinematographer from her 1985 film Perfect left her with a complex after a cutting remark about her eyes.

"He was like, 'Yeah, I'm not shooting her today. Her eyes are baggy,'" Jamie told 60 Minutes

"And I was 25, so for him to say that, it was very embarrassing. So as soon as the movie finished, I ended up having some plastic surgery," she added.

jamie lee curtis wearing leotard in movie perfect© Moviestore/Shutterstock
Jamie was told her 'eyes are baggy' while filming Perfect

Plastic surgery

Jamie underwent surgery to remove the puffiness from her eyes, but has regretted her decision to this day.

"That's just not what you want to do when you're 25 or 26," she said. "And I regretted it immediately and have kind of sort of regretted it since."

jamie lee curtis in black dress © Getty Images
Jamie regrets getting plastic surgery at 25

Part of the reason Jamie wishes she didn't have plastic surgery is that she has become an advocate for natural beauty.

She explained: "I've become a really public advocate to say to women you're gorgeous and you're perfect the way you are. So yeah, it was not a good thing for me to do."

The Freaky Friday star also admitted that having plastic surgery led her to become dependent on painkillers.

Jamie Lee Curtis (Baroness Haden-Guest) arrives at the World Premiere Of Universal Pictures And Blumhouse Productions' 'Halloween Ends' held at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.© Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
Jamie became addicted to painkillers after her plastic surgery

"I became very enamored with the warm bath of an opiate," Jamie said. "You know, drank a little bit … never to access, never any big public demonstrations. I was very quiet, very private about it, but it became a dependency for sure."

Jamie has been sober for over two decades, and in 2021, she spoke to HELLO! about her struggles with substance abuse.

"My recovery is the single greatest accomplishment that I will ever get to do in this human life," she told us.

jamie lee curtis in black dress© Variety via Getty Images
Jamie has been sober for over two decades

"I have a generational link to addiction and substance abuse in my family, and I was able to catch it, look in the mirror, understand the problem, and I have been clean and sober for 22 years."

Jamie's brother Nicholas died from a heroin overdose at age 21 in 1994. Her father, Tony Curtis, was also an addict, and Jamie once admitted to taking cocaine with him.

"I knew my dad had an issue because I had an issue and he and I shared drugs," she told Variety in 2019.

Actor Tony Curtis, son Benjamin Curtis, daughter Kelly Curtis, son Nicholas Curtis, daughter Allegra Curtis and daughter actress Jamie Lee Curtis attend Tony Curtis' Art Exhibition Dinner Party on April 22, 1989 at Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.© Getty Images
Jamie took drugs with her dad, Tony Curtis

"There was a period of time where I was the only child that was talking to him. I had six siblings. I have five. My brother, Nicholas, died of a heroin overdose when he was 21 years old."

She added: "But I shared drugs with my dad. I did cocaine and freebased once with my dad. But that was the only time I did that, and I did that with him."

Jamie Lee Curtis attends the premiere of "The Last Showgirl" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival at Princess of Wales Theatre on September 06, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario© Getty Images
Jamie said she was a 'controlled drug addict and alcoholic'

Speaking about her own addiction, Jamie said she was a "wildly controlled drug addict and alcoholic".

"I never did it when I worked. I never took drugs before 5 p.m. I never, ever took painkillers at 10 in the morning. It was that sort of late afternoon and early evening … I chased that feeling for a long time."

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