Jamie Lee Curtis has clarified comments that appeared to suggest she “hated” working on New Girl, insisting she loved the show and her time with its cast.
The actress sparked headlines after describing her experience filming the hit sitcom as “awful” and “not fun” during NBCUniversal’s Summer Backlot Experience in Los Angeles on Monday, August 10.
Jamie Lee Curtis. Photo credit: Fred Duval, Shutterstock
Curtis, who played Jess Day’s mother on the series, explained that it was the show’s single-camera filming format she disliked, rather than New Girl itself.
“I did a single-camera [comedy], which I hated,” Curtis said during the panel. “I mean, it’s a great show, New Girl, very funny. It’s a good show.”
She went on to explain that single-camera comedies are filmed more like movies, meaning actors do not have a live audience reacting to their jokes.
“You’ve got a camera crew, and nobody laughs. It’s silent, and it’s awful. For me, awful. Single-camera comedies, for me, not fun,” she said.
@entertainment_weekly The feeling stick is in her hands! Jamie Lee Curtis says she “hated” shooting ‘New Girl’ even though it’s a ‘great show.’ The ‘Newlyweds’ star and executive producer says she’d much rather do a multi-cam sitcom. #NewGirl #Newlyweds #nbc ♬ original sound - Entertainment Weekly
Curtis’ comments were quickly picked up online, with some reports suggesting that the actress had disliked working on New Girl.
She has now addressed those reports directly, taking to Instagram to explain what she meant.
Sharing a photo of herself with the late Rob Reiner, who played her character’s ex-husband on New Girl, alongside Zooey Deschanel, Curtis said her comments had been taken out of context.
View this post on Instagram
“HEY INTERNET! HI!” she began.
Curtis explained that she had been discussing her upcoming NBC sitcom Newlyweds during the panel, which uses a multi-camera format and is filmed in front of a live studio audience.
She said she was comparing that experience with working on a single-camera comedy, where there is no immediate audience response while scenes are being performed. Curtis described the process as “doing comedy in a vacuum, like a comedy feature” and said it simply was not her favourite way of working.
She stressed that this did not mean she disliked New Girl itself. “The show itself is fantastic and the team that made it are talented,” she wrote.
Zooey Deschanel. Photo credit: Kathy Hutchins, Shutterstock
Curtis also praised Deschanel, describing her as “an absolute gem of a human”. She added that she had particularly enjoyed getting to work alongside her friend Reiner, who played her character Joan Day’s former husband, and said the experience was “sweet and lovely”.
Curtis first appeared on New Girl in the Season Two episode Parents, playing Jess’ eccentric mother.
She went on to return for six episodes across four seasons, with Reiner appearing as her character’s ex-husband.
@newgirlvids You think she’s perky? #newgirltvshow #newgirl #nickmiller #schmidt #jessday #winstonbishop #jamieleecurtis #zooeydeschanel ♬ original sound - newgirlvids
The actress is now starring in and executive producing Newlyweds, a new NBC comedy starring Tea Leoni and Tim Daly.
Curtis said she particularly enjoys the multi-camera format because of the immediate reaction from the studio audience.
“It’s almost like doing a play where you get immediate feedback,” she explained.
Jamie Lee Curtis. Photo credit: Tinseltown, Shutterstock
She said she had spent years telling her agents that she wanted to work on a sitcom before eventually creating the opportunity herself.
Curtis ended her Instagram post by asking people not to focus on the New Girl comments and instead move on to more important issues.
