Jamie Lee Curtis Reflects on Her “Single Greatest Accomplishment”

Jamie Lee Curtis has been many things to many fans. A horror trailblazer. A sharp comic presence. A steady, unpretentious voice who never seems to take herself too seriously. After decades on screens big and small, she is still being asked what truly matters most.

The answer does not come in the shape of a role or a trophy. It is not a box office number or a viral moment. When Curtis looks back at the decisions that changed everything, she points to something far more personal and, in her words, life saving.

“Getting sober remains my single greatest accomplishment.” With that simple sentence, she makes clear that the best thing she has ever done in her career did not happen on a set. It happened when she chose recovery and the steady work that comes with it.

She has explained why that choice sits above all the rest. “It’ll be the single greatest thing I do, if I can stay sober. For me, sobriety first. Always.” Those words say more than any filmography ever could. They speak to a promise she keeps to herself and to the people who look to her as proof that change is possible.

Curtis often frames her career breakthroughs as the byproduct of that decision. The clarity that followed brought a new steadiness to her work and a new honesty to her public life. It is not that she dismisses the roles that made her famous. It is that she sees those highs through a different lens now, one shaped by accountability, health, and the daily practice of showing up.

That perspective has also guided how she navigates the spotlight. She has never shied from speaking plainly about what recovery has given her. The habit of straight talk has become part of her appeal. Fans recognize the same candor in her characters and in her interviews. There is a sense that the person and the performer have finally met in the middle.

So when Curtis names the best thing she has ever done, she is not just making a personal confession. She is setting a marker for what a successful career can look like. It can be measured in the work, yes, but also in the choices that allow the work to keep coming. It can be measured in the freedom to say no, the courage to say help, and the ability to say I am still here.

In a town that loves neat endings, Curtis keeps her story open. Recovery is not a ribbon to cut. It is one day at a time. The applause fades, the lights go down, and the real job begins again in the morning. That is the legacy she is building, and for her, that is the win that matters most.