Jamie Lee Curtis Says Jake Gyllenhaal Is To Thank For Her Returning To ‘Halloween’

We’re still pressing the replay button on the latest trailer for “Halloween,” the sequel to John Carpenter‘s 1978 horror classic. We’ve watched the trailer about 100 times partly because of the classic score and the return of Michael Myers, but mainly because of returning star Jamie Lee Curtis. Curtis was the breakout star of the original film. It’s the most iconic role of her career and she looks better than ever in the new film. Come October, Laurie Strode will be ready for Michael’s return.

READ MORE: ‘Halloween’ Trailer: Director David Gordon Green Brings A New Terror To The Michael Myers Series

According to Variety, actor Jake Gyllenhaal has a lot to do with Curtis’ return to one of the original Final Girls. Apparently, Curtis considers Gyllenhaal an “unofficial godson,” and after Jake worked with “Halloween” director David Gordon Green in 2017’s “Stronger,” the actor lobbied hard to Curtis for her to take part in the new film. And from there, we can only imagine things went over positively. Green reminded Curtis of Carpenter. “They’re both laid back and don’t take themselves too seriously,” Curtis said.

The new “Halloween” will be a direct sequel to the 1978 film. However, this isn’t the first time that Curtis has returned to the role of Laurie Strode. Her most recent appearance in the franchise was in “Halloween H20: 20 Year Later” but ultimately Curtis found the experience disappointing, saying, “‘H20’ started out with best intentions, but it ended up being a money gig. The film had some good things in it. It talked about alcoholism and trauma, but I ended up really doing it for the paycheck.”

READ MORE: Danny McBride Originally Pitched Making Back-To-Back ‘Halloween’ Films

But this time around, everything is different. Curtis herself has had nothing but praise for the film leading up to it’s October debut. “We shed all of that other stuff and just went back to what made the original so great,” said Curtis. “It’s powerful. It’s old-school. It’s terrifying.”

“Halloween” hits theaters October 19.