Jamie Lee Curtis Shares Filming ‘New Girl’ Was Awful Despite Her Love for the Show
Jamie Lee Curtis has established an impressive and diverse career in Hollywood, seamlessly transitioning between horror films, action-packed blockbusters, and acclaimed dramatic roles. Among her varied projects, she made a notable recurring appearance on the beloved Fox sitcom ‘New Girl,’ portraying Joan Day, the mother of Zooey Deschanel’s character, across six episodes over multiple seasons.
This role paired Curtis with Rob Reiner, who played Joan’s ex-husband and Jess’s father, creating a memorable comedic duo during the show’s run from 2011 to 2018. On the surface, it appeared to be the perfect guest role for Curtis, given the show’s critical acclaim and dedicated fanbase.
However, Curtis recently revealed that her experience on set was far from enjoyable. Speaking at NBCUniversal’s Summer Backlot Experience, she confessed that filming a single-camera sitcom like ‘New Girl’ was something she genuinely disliked. Despite recognizing the show’s humor and quality, she found the filming process more akin to shooting a movie than a traditional comedy, as reported by Entertainment Weekly.
Curtis elaborated on what made the format so challenging for her, describing the atmosphere on a single-camera set as uncomfortably quiet due to the lack of a live studio audience. She noted that although a full camera crew was present, there were no laughs during filming, calling the silence “awful” and emphasizing that single-camera comedies simply aren’t enjoyable for her as a performer.
Curtis’s aversion to single-camera sitcoms extends beyond her time on ‘New Girl.’ She has also worked in this format on shows like ‘The Bear,’ but she has consistently preferred multi-camera productions filmed in front of live audiences, a style she believes provides the immediate comedic feedback she thrives on.
This preference dates back to her time on ‘Anything But Love,’ the ABC sitcom she starred in alongside the late Richard Lewis from 1989 to 1992. Curtis has referred to that show as her favorite job ever and has frequently asked her agents to help her find more multi-camera projects since.
Her persistence has finally paid off with ‘Newlyweds,’ a new NBC multi-camera comedy starring real-life couple Téa Leoni and Tim Daly as a free-spirited woman and a reserved professor who marry quickly after a whirlwind romance. Curtis serves as both an executive producer and a recurring guest star on the series, playing a character named Claudia, marking her long-awaited return to the format she has always preferred.
Curtis wasn’t alone in sharing her complicated sitcom experiences during the panel, as co-star Leoni recalled that crew members used to hang air-sickness bags behind the sets of her earlier sitcoms due to her nerves before performing live. With ‘Newlyweds’ set to premiere on NBC on October 23 at 8:30 p.m. ET, Curtis seems ready to recapture the comedic energy she has missed since her early television days.
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