In 1983, Jamie Lee Curtis was rejected for a comedy. It led to some of the biggest roles of her career

Jamie Lee Curtis’s horror fame nearly worked against her when Paramount rejected her for the female lead in the comedy Trading Places, despite director John Landis wanting her for the role. Landis persuaded the studio to cast her, helping Curtis move beyond the typecasting that could have confined her career to horror.

Curtis said her connection to Halloween’s Laurie Strode led to her work with Landis, who had first hired her to present a documentary about horror-film trailers. Trading Places then helped open the way to roles in A Fish Called Wanda and True Lies. Curtis has said that her major successes remain directly connected to playing Strode.