Jamie Lee Curtis is a multi-profession celebrity famous for “True Lies”, “Halloween”, “A Fish Called Wanda”, and “Freaky Friday.” Among all of her talents of acting, producing, directing, writing, and blogging, curiosity questions whether Jamie Lee Curtis can also play the guitar.
Jamie Lee Curtis did learn to play the guitar for a part of her role in the movie “Freaky Friday,” but her playing did not make it to the soundtrack. She has stated she can play rhythm guitar.
Further reading below will elaborate on Jamie Lee Curtis’ journey of learning the guitar, particularly for her role in the “Freaky Friday” movie.
“Freaky Friday”
“Freaky Friday” was a comedy, family, fantasy movie released in 2003 that was about a mother and daughter who could not overcome differences in views and wound up switching bodies for the day. One scene in the movie depicts both Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsey Lohan playing the guitar.
Amir Derakh, the synth guitar player for the band Orgy at the time, coached Lindsey Lohan, her group, and Jamie Lee Curtis how to play guitar.
Curtis’ husband, Christopher Guest, also gave Jamie Lee guidance on her guitar playing. He was a guitarist in the movie “This is Spinal Tap.” She said that when practicing at home she closed her eyes and “wailed on this thing and thought I was so hot…I did a great job, but not to the purist.”
The YouTube video below showcases the guitar playing from the movie and a brief explanation of their coaching from Derakh.
Jamie Lee Curtis’ Opinion on the Guitar Solo
Curtis revealed in an interview pre-”Freaky Friday” release to the New York Post that this was one of her favorite moments of working for the movie. Learning to play the guitar was great fun for her and she does a great job in appearing that she is playing in the movie.
She also stated that “I’m not sure most 40-year-old women get to play a rippin’ guitar solo.” This clearly emphasizes the level of fun she had and she even sounded irritated when explaining her auditory playing did not make it to the final cut.
Although she made such a believable spectacle of her guitar solo in “Take Me Away”, in the actual soundtrack, a studio musician played the music atop her visual representation. The scene was filmed at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip.
In an interview posted by Tiffany Rose in 2003 on Independent, Curtis reveals that she can play rhythm guitar. She further expresses that she knows how to hold a guitar and strum as an answer to “tell us something about yourself that we don’t know.”
Rhythm Guitar
Rhythm guitar typically plays supporting chords along with other musical instruments like the bass and drummer. It helps to create a foundation and basis for the song, but the rhythm guitar can go off on interesting chords and riffs, but always to support the rhythm.
While rhythm is an inherent part of all music, and clearly was important for Jamie Lee Curtis in her solo in her movie, it also extends beyond just music. Many actors and comedians say how important it is for their careers as well.
Rhythm is about finding a pulse, a beat, and creating divisions and steadiness. Actors need this for fine-tuning character voices, comedians use it to properly deliver jokes, and playwrights utilize it to deliver proper performances.
Rhythm is a quintessential way that actors can bring out their character and that directors and producers can plan for proper execution of stylized scenes. Given Jamie Lee Curtis’ several occupational positions, her role of learning guitar and sticking with rhythm guitar has the potential to benefit her in multiple aspects of life.