Jamie Lee Curtis Admits She Starred in ‘Halloween H20: 20 Years Later’ for the Paycheck

Jamie Lee Curtis returns to the Halloween franchise after a 16-year absence, with her character Laurie Strode previously having been killed off in 2002’s Halloween: Resurrection. This wasn’t her longest absence from the series, as it was 17 years between appearing in Halloween II and Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, the latter of which she admitted to appear in merely for the paycheck.

After a handful of disappointing sequels, the seventh installment in the franchise was intended to bring back original filmmakers John Carpenter and Debra Hill, though the duo ultimately passed after Curtis had already gotten involved.

“H20 started out with best intentions, but it ended up being a money gig,” Curtis shared with Variety. “The film had some good things in it. It talked about alcoholism and trauma, but I ended up really doing it for the paycheck.”

Luckily for Curtis, not only did Carpenter return for this year’s Halloween sequel, but it also saw the return of actor Nick Castle, who performed the majority of the masked Michael Myers in the original film. This is his first return to the franchise.

Curtis returning to the series resulted in a variety complications when it comes to the film’s overall narrative, with this new chapter kicking off the franchise’s fifth timeline.

The longest-running timeline spans the first two films and also adds films four through six. The third film is a standalone experience, as it omits the Michael Myers mythology completely and tells the tale of an evil mask manufacturer whose products kill the wearer when they witness a specific television jingle. Halloween III: Season of the Witch is the only entry in this alternate timeline.

Without Curtis, the fourth film killed off her character and, instead, shifted the focus towards her daughter. The actress’ return in H20 contradicted the events of the previous three films, creating the third timeline.

In 2007, filmmaker Rob Zombie crafted a remake of the original film, which earned a sequel, generating a fourth timeline.

This year’s sequel ignores the events of every chapter of the series, other than the original film, kicking off the fifth timeline.

One of the most exciting elements of this new sequel is that it will completely ignore the familial connection between Strode and Michael Myers, which was introduced in Halloween II and was a motivating factor behind the killings for a majority of the sequels. With this piece of mythology being removed, this new chapter can explore a variety of horrific scenarios.

The new Halloween lands in theaters on October 19th.

What are your thoughts on Curtis’ role in Halloween H20? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

[H/T Variety]