Jamie Lee Curtis Devastated by Palisades Fire; Says Questlove Predicted Her Winning an Oscar

-Hey, thank you so much for being here. And first of all, I really -- -I know. I'm literally just about to cry, mostly because of that beautiful welcome.

-You're beautiful! -As you know, where I live is on fire right now. Literally the entire city of the Pacific Palisades is burning.

And, you know, I flew here last night. I was on the plane, started getting texts, and it's [bleep] gnarly, you guys. It's just a catastrophe in Southern California.

Obviously, there have been horrific fires in many places. This is literally where I live. Everything -- the market I shop in, the schools my kids go to, friends.

Many, many, many, many, many friends now have lost their homes. So it is -- It's a really awful situation. I am, you know, obviously going to go home first thing tomorrow and be with my family and try to help my friends, but it is -- Just so I can tell you, if you know anybody on the West Coast or not, the American Red Cross -- support them.

They will come in and help people. Do anything you can, anything in your community to help people. Whether you need it or not now, you will need it.

Give blood, donate, whatever you can do. Animal shelters. -Yeah.

-And, remember, since I'm on the middle of a very big television show, for anybody living anywhere, have an emergency kit in your house. I'm an American Red Cross ambassador. Have an emergency kit with prescription glasses, medicines, dog food, baby formula, all the things you need if you have to flee.

So, I'm happy to be here. I was actually terrified, as you know, to be here. Terrified, you people.

Terrified. I'm terrified of you. -What do you mean you're terrified of me?

-I'm terrified of you. -What do you mean terrified of me? -No, I'm terrified of you.

-Why? -Because I don't do impressions. I'm not Ariana Grande.

Wait. No, wait. And I -- You know, I can dance a little, but, I mean, like, I'm not going to do, like, a dance-off.

And I always felt like you had to, like, be able to sing. I'm the worst singer in the world, so I can't sing. So I just was afraid.

I really came here because I love Questlove and I like you. [ Cheers and applause ] So, anyway, I was always very nervous of this. And I live in Los Angeles, and so I'm never in New York.

So anyway. . .

But I'm happy to be here. -But you should never be -- You can come on and just be -- -Okay. Whatever.

It's fine. It's fine. -But you are you.

You are Jamie Lee Curtis. -I understand. By the way, I met a woman today who, when I was walking down the hall, she said, "You eat.

" -That's a great -- No, it's a great thing. -I swear. -It's a great thing.

-Like, right outside the dressing room. And I said, "I'm sorry? " -That's a good thing.

-She said, "You eat. " And I said, "What does that mean? " And then she said, "You're killing it.

" -Yes. -And then -- -No crumbs. -I know.

But, like, no crumbs. We're killing it. But then we slay and then we smash it and then we devour it.

When did, like, being good become so violent? -No, seriously. -Look, you're eating it right now.

-I'm eating it. -You just can't stop eating. You know, I talked to my wife before the show and I said -- -I hope so.

-I said, "Jamie Lee Curtis is the best. " And she said, "When is she not the best? " -Aww!

-And I thought that was a great line. "When is she not the best? " -Okay.

Fine. Enough. Enough, enough.

-So, anyway -- So, yeah, enough. You're here. You're winning Oscars.

-I know. -You won an Oscar. You won an Emmy.

You won every award. -Can I tell you something? -Yeah, please.

-I've never told anybody this. Never told anybody this. So, I'm me.

You guys know me pretty well. If you think for one second I ever thought that anybody would give me an award like that, you're crazy. If you watched my friend Demi the other night talk about being an actor for 45 years before -- You know.

So, obviously, that was not in my plan. You know, it was never something -- I did horror movies, for [bleep] sake. I mean, seriously.

So -- No, no, no. I'm being honest. I mean, you know, you don't think you're going to win an -- Anyway, so, I was in this wonderful movie, "Everything Everywhere All at Once," which was fantastic.

-[ Cheers and applause ] -Yes. And, you know, obviously Michelle Yeoh and Ke were great. And I'd seen the movie, and the movie was great.

And the Daniels. And the movie is great. And I have a great part, you know, a small-but-great part.

And I just never thought about a word of it. And I went to a screening in New York City. It's the honest-to-God truth.

I went to a screening in New York City, downtown somewhere. I don't even know where downtown is, but it's that way. And Questlove was in the audience.

And at the end, there was a reception, and it was in the middle of COVID, kind of. And, you know, the word "reception" to me is just like "germ bucket. " Like, you don't go to the reception, because it's all high voices and wine breath, because it's just -- it's just -- I swear, it's just -- -"Wine breath.

" -It's just people going like this. "Oh, my God! You're so good in the movie!

You were amazing! " And they're right up against your face and they've had two glasses of [bleep] wine. So, instead of that, I was standing near the door, and Questlove was there.

And I was just about to leave, and somehow, I turned, and there he was and he looked at me and said -- I've never met him. Had we ever met before? -No, we haven't met, no.

-He looked at me and said, "Dust off your mantel. " And I said, "What? " He said, "Dust off your mantel.

" -Wow. -And I looked at him. I was like, "Oh, shut up!

Oh, stop. Stop it. " -You're going to put an award up there.

-And I remember, I got in the car. I have never told you this, sir. I got in the car, and it was the only time where I went.

"What? " Like, it -- Like, you know how Leonard Cohen talks about the crack that let the light in? You let the light in for me.

And I never thought it would happen, and then, of course, on the night itself, I really didn't think it was going to happen, and neither did anybody else. But I won't say anything. And -- -Questlove predicted it.

-But Questlove predicted it. And I just will -- I'll never forget it as long as I live. [ Cheers and applause ] -That's a good story.

I do remember -- -That is a true story. -I do remember, the next day, you came here and you go, "Dude, I just saw the best movie of the year. " -Yeah.

-And I go, "No way. " -No, but, I mean, it was just he also looked at -- -No, but my memory is better. But.

. . -Are you stretching your back?

-My story is better. -Are you stretching your back? -I'm stretching my arms.

-What are you stretching for? -Just 'cause. I just love my story so much.

-You're so weird. -No. -I mean, I like you.

You're funny. You're really funny. That bit earlier was really funny.

-No, please. -No, it was really funny. What?

What do you want to know? Talk to me. What do you want -- What could you possibly want to know?

-I have to ask you a question. -What? -"The Last Showgirl" -- -Is fantastic.

-Thank you. That wasn't the question. It's out this Friday in theaters.

-Yes. -Pamela Anderson was on last night. -Pamela Anderson is fantastic.

-And she was fantastic. And you just got nominated for a -- Yeah. -Pamela got nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Awards.

-Yes. And you did, as well, today. Congratulations.

Nominated for a Screen -- today. -[ Cheers and applause ] -Come on! -Yes.

It's a beautiful movie. It's a movie set in Vegas. It's sort of Vegas during the day.

It's what happens when the last big showgirl's show closes. Pamela plays the last showgirl. I play her best -- Her BFF, ride-or-die, ridden-hard-and-put-away-wet best friend.

No, seriously, because Annette -- Annette was a showgirl and then became, obviously, a stripper and then probably, you know, a sex worker, and then, at some point, she ended up a bevertainer. -Now, I did not know what. .

. -Yes. -.

. . a bevertainer is.

-So, a bevertainer -- It's true. A bevertainer is a way that the casinos got around the unions. You know, they just want to -- excuse -- "F" the unions.

You know, they just -- You know, businesses just want to "F" unions. And what happened was that instead of being cocktail waitresses, which is unionized, they created a new job, a bevertainer. A bevertainer is someone who serves drinks and performs.

So if you're a dancer, you do three dances a shift. If you're a singer, you get up on these weird little platforms in the casino and you sing your track, whatever it would be, you know? -Never heard of that term.

-And I play a bevertainer, a woman named Annette, who is, you know -- -Your look in this film. . .

-Oh, it's fantastic. -. .

. is one of my favorite looks of any -- Look at this. -It's just fantastic.

-Well done! [ Cheers and applause ] -Yeah. -The tan.

-The spray tan. Mommy got a spray tan. -The spray tan.

The spray tan. -Spray tan and just -- And by the way, it's a harsh life, Vegas. Vegas -- I don't know.

Maybe you guys love Vegas. -It's tough. -You know, it's a harsh place.

It's a -- And particularly harsh for women. And this is a movie about women. This is a movie about what happens, about mothers and daughters and what happens to women in Vegas.

And it's a beautiful little movie directed by Gia Coppola, stars Pamela Anderson. -Fantastic job, Gia Coppola. -I know.

-Also, you're dancing. You're -- -Well, so, you know, I -- Like, you can dance, but, you know, I think isn't there a TV show that says like, "So You Think You Can Dance? " I think everybody thinks we can dance.

I mean, I danced when I was, like -- I took dance classes a few times. Yes, in the movie, so, what happened was this. So, the bevertainer who we met when I found out about bevertainers -- she said, "Would you like me to dance for you?

" And I was like, "Oh, my God. No, no, no, no. " Because I had seen "Anora" and I knew what that meant.

And she was like, "No, no, no. I have to. " And so she basically got up on the podium and danced for me.

I certainly left her a nice tip. And then, as we were walking away -- True story. As we were walking away, Gia Coppola said to me, "Well, you know, Annette's going to dance.

" And I looked at her. I said, "No, I am not. No.

No, no, no. I'm here three days. I am not dancing.

-"Yeah, I'm doing my thing. " -"I'm doing my thing. " And then, as we were walking into the rehearsal hall for the only rehearsal we had, "Total Eclipse of the Heart" was playing on the sound system in the casino.

And I jokingly said to Gia, "Well, you know, if Annette was going to be a bevertainer, that would be her track. " End of story, never thought about it, did three days of great, beautiful, intense work. And then my last day, right before I left the casino, Gia Coppola walked up and said, "Annette is dancing in five minutes.

" And there is a beautiful, beautiful sequence in this movie where this -- I'm 66 years old. Annette is 66 years old. This 66-year-old ex-showgirl gets up on this platform and dances to "Total Eclipse.

" Except you have to understand, nobody watches. It's heartbreaking, because nobody gives a [bleep] They're just like, nobody cares. And it's this poignant -- The way she used it in the movie was extraordinary.

And it's very emotional and beautiful. So, yeah, mommy dances in "The Last Showgirl. " -Yeah.

I want to show -- -[ Cheers and applause ] I want to show everyone a clip. Here's Jamie Lee Curtis in -- -Not dancing. -No, not dancing.

No, this is just you straight acting. Here's Jamie Lee Curtis in "The Last Showgirl. " Take a look at this.

-Phyllis, you want another ginger ale? -Oh, thank you. -Yeah, a little Jack Daniel's?

-Oh, yeah. Thanks, Annette. -You know, I don't like that.

It makes you think like I'm irresponsible. I am not irresponsible. I'm thinking of opening an IRA.

-Oh, I think you're too old to open an IRA. -Okay, whatever. I just mean, you know me.

I make money. -Exactly. -You know, you could always get together with Eddie.

-What? ! -You could.

-Oh, my God, that's a first. Who are you? -Hey, Tony, I need a Jack and ginger.

-Hey, we're cutting the floor. You and Esme can go home. -Who's staying?

-Jennifer and Jessica. -Of course they are. -Jamie Lee Curtis, everyone.

"The Last Showgirl" is in theaters Friday. More with Jamie Lee Curtis after the break. Stick around.

Come back.