Jamie Lee Curtis Recalls Selling ‘Yogurt That Makes You S— for 7 Years’ as She Wins Guest Actress Emmy for The Bear

“I’m the luckiest girl in the world … I just never thought in my life that I would get to do work at this level of depth and complexity and intelligence. And it’s just been the thrill of my creative life,” Curtis said after her win

 

She may have only had a guest role, but Jamie Lee Curtis left her mark — and is now taking home the hardware for her performance!

On Sunday, Sept. 8, Curtis won outstanding guest actress in a comedy series at 2024 Creative Arts Emmys for her role as Donna Berzatto in The Bear. With the win, Curtis beats out fellow nominees Olivia Colman (The Bear), Kaitlin Olson (Hacks), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Only Murders in the Building), Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live) and Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live).

Taking the stage after her name was announced, Curtis, 65, told the crowd, “You know there’s a saying, ‘Hurt people, hurt people,’ but I also think you can add to that and say, ‘Helped people help people,’ and I think that’s the story of The Bear.”

“To be the source of someone’s pain is very difficult … It’s astonishing that I got this opportunity at this point in my life,” she continued, before highlighting the show’s cast and crew, which she said was “the ingredients of this beautiful, beautiful, beautiful piece of television … that I’m privileged to be in.”

Curtis later expressed her gratitude in the press room, telling reporters that she felt “lucky” after winning the prestigious award. She also looked back on her time starring in Activia yogurt commercials and joked about how far she had come since.

“I’m the luckiest girl in the world. I’ve been an actor since I was 19. I’m 65,” she said. “I’ve sold yogurt that makes you s— for seven years. And I just never thought in my life that I would get to do work at this level of depth and complexity and intelligence. And it’s just been the thrill of my creative life these last couple of years that I get these opportunities. So I’m humble and incredibly grateful.”

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She added of the accomplishment: “I think we’re all underestimated, and as actors, you just hustle for a job, any job. And look at my career, I’ve done a lot of weird stuff because I just love the process. And to me, the perseverance and patience and belief in yourself, rejection, this is an industry filled with rejection. You are rejected every day, every day when you’re an actor. And to be 65 years old and having this happen is extraordinary.”

When asked if she was seeking out EGOT status one day, Curtis joked, “Well, I can’t sing at all, and I’ve never been on stage, actually. I’ve never done a play, and so I can’t imagine.”

“I don’t stay up that late… I don’t know if any of you ever paid attention to anything I’ve said, but at my age, about concerts being so late and why can’t Bruce Springsteen do a frickin’ matinee?” she quipped. “So I am just not sure I would do so well in the theater since you go to bed so late. But you know what? I never thought any of this was going to be possible in my life at all.”

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Curtis wowed audiences with her surprise portrayal of Donna — the mother of Carmen (Jeremy Allen White), Sugar (Abby Elliot) and Mikey Berzatto (Jon Bernthal), who struggles with alcoholism and what appears to be Borderline Personality Disorder — on season 2 of The Bear.

In particular, her erratic performance preparing Christmas Eve dinner in episode 6 titled “Fishes,” left a major mark with critics and fans alike — so much so that Curtis’ fellow costar Bernthal also took home a guest actor Emmy on Sept. 8 for his acting in that episode.

Prior to joining The Bear, Curtis, who also appeared in the final episode of season 2, admitted that she had a premonition about her future on the show after watching it for the first time.

“When I saw the first episode last summer and Sugar asks Carmen if he had spoken to their mother, in that second I knew that I would play her. Don’t ask me how. I just knew,” she wrote on Instagram in June 2023. “A year later, after the wild success of the brilliant first season, Chris Storer offered me the role of a lifetime.”

“Thank you, Chris and the ENTIRE BEAR family of creative human beings and scene partners for allowing me in to let it rip!” she concluded.

Besides Curtis, this year’s category was quite competitive with the other nominee’s memorable onscreen performances.

Fellow Bear star Colman, 50, earned her nomination after portraying Chef Andrea Terry, the British executive chef at Ever, the fine dining restaurant where Richard “Richie” Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) stages.

The actress first made her appearance in The Bear universe in season 2, episode 7 and reprised her role in the season 3 finale. Christopher Storer, the series creator, told Time that Colman’s character was inspired by real life culinary masters, Alice Waters and Marcella Hazan.

“She’s just incredibly established, but sincere,” Storer said of working with Colman. “She’s warm, kind, and very normal. She was just as excited to be there as we were to have her, which was kind of cool.”

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Olson, 49, made her debut on Max’s Hacks as DJ, the troubled daughter of Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in June, the actress admitted, “I don’t like being a guest star on other people’s shows,” but agreed to sign on after producer Mike Schur promised her a juicy part on the series.

“The writing was so good and so smart,” she recalled. “It’s very uncommon to find a smart, funny show that organically weaves in real emotion. It’s done badly a lot. I just couldn’t say no to it.”

 

Randolph, 38, was nominated for her performance as Detective Donna Williams in Only Murders in the Building season 3, episode 8.

The actress was first introduced to fans in season 1 of the series. While episode 8 is the only time she appears in season 3, Randolph told The Hollywood Reporter of how her appearance in the third installment came to be.

“I was told that season three was going to be action-packed, just everything being thrown at it in the best way, so many new variables, more castmembers, a play within a TV show,” she recalled. “I was in conversation with the showrunner, and I was like, ‘Please, I would love to! I don’t care what we do, please, something with Meryl Streep, anything,’ and he stayed true to his word. “

“John Hoffman [co-creator] was like, ‘If I can make it happen, I want it to be worth your while,’ and he definitely delivered,” she added.

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Rudolph, 52, was nominated for her hosting stint on Saturday Night Live. While hosting this year’s Mother’s Day episode in May, the comedian kept audiences laughing with a special musical monologue titled, “I’m Your Mother.” The track also received a nomination for outstanding original music and lyrics.

“It is so good to be back, and for the Mother’s Day episode,” she told the audience. “And for me it’s extra special because I am a four-time mom. That’s right, I have four beautiful kids — that I know of.” she jokingly continued.

SNL cast members Bowen Yang and Sarah Sherman then joined Rudolph on stage to wish her Happy Mother’s Day, before Yang explained: “Maya, look, you’re not just a mom, you’re mother.”

“Who me, mother?” Rudolph then asked, before laughing and giving a slightly menacing, “You’re right,” to the camera. After an intro from Kenan Thompson, the actress appeared on stage in a shimmering leotard, surrounded by dancers, before launching into an impressive rap and dance routine.

The rap monologue culminated with Rudolph back on stage, surrounded by silver-clad dancers and cast members from the show as she declared, “I’m your mother” one final time and introduced the show.

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Like Rudolph, Wiig, 51, was also nominated for her April hosting stint on Saturday Night Live.

Her appearance earned her entrance into the show’s five-timers club, the ever-growing ranks of stars who have also hosted the sketch show five times or more in its 48-year history.

During Wiig’s monologue, the host was joined by a raft of celebrities, from Paul Rudd, to Matt Damon, Jon Hamm, Martin Short, Fred Armisen, Will Forte and none other than Ryan Gosling.

The actress and comedian began by telling the audience she was “so happy to be back” and “so excited” to be hosting SNL for the fifth time as it meant she was “officially in the five-timers club.”

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The 2024 Creative Arts Emmys will air Saturday, Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. ET on FXX, and can also be streamed on Hulu from Sept. 15 through Oct. 9.