Jamie Lee Curtis Refused to Sing in Freakier Friday, Says Co-Star Sophia Hammons

When Sophia Hammons stepped onto the stage at the Women in Film 2025 honorsBeverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, she didn’t expect to become the center of a Hollywood whisper-turned-headline. But when the 18-year-old actress shared a candid behind-the-scenes moment from the set of Freakier Friday, the room went quiet — then erupted in knowing laughter. "That’s the one thing about Jamie," Hammons told People magazine. "She’s always like, ‘I’m not going to sing.’ It’s actually the one thing that she’s like, ‘I’m not going to do.’" And just like that, the myth of Jamie Lee Curtis’s musical silence in Disney’s latest body-swap comedy became official.

Why She Said No — And Why It Didn’t Matter

Jamie Lee Curtis, 66, didn’t need to sing to command attention. Whether she was screaming through the halls of Haddonfield in Halloween (1978) or outmaneuvering Daniel Craig in Knives Out (2019), her presence has always been magnetic. But singing? That was a line she drew decades ago — and she wasn’t budging. Hammons, who played a pivotal role in the August 2025 sequel alongside Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, said the refusal wasn’t a point of tension. It was just… Jamie. "Otherwise, she’s game for all of it," Hammons added. "She’s so collaborative. She is always open to other ideas. I mean, it was awesome to get to play off of her." The production, which wrapped on May 3, 2024, at the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California, had its share of physical demands. Hammons recalled one scene where Curtis, playing the mother in a teenage body, shoveled an estimated 36 donuts into her mouth in a single take. "She didn’t complain," Hammons said. "She just did it. And then asked if we needed another take. That’s the kind of pro she is."

The Soundtrack That Didn’t Need Her Voice

Despite Curtis’s refusal, Freakier Friday still featured musical numbers — five of them, to be exact. The film’s soundtrack, released by Walt Disney Records on August 8, 2025, included three songs originally written for Curtis’s character. Enter Alexandra Chelak, a professional session singer whose voice was layered over Curtis’s perfectly timed lip-syncing. Director Gary Marshall — son of the late Freaky Friday director Mark Waters — reportedly told the crew: "We’ll make her look like she’s killing it. She’ll just be the face." The result? Critics didn’t notice. Freakier Friday opened to an 87% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 142 critics and averaged an 8.2/10 from over 15,000 audience votes. The film grossed $47.3 million domestically in its opening weekend across 3,456 theaters, and added $28.7 million internationally — a $76 million global debut against a $45 million budget. In Hollywood math, that’s a win. In entertainment folklore, it’s a legend.

A Veteran’s Boundaries, A New Star’s Respect

For Hammons, who rose to prominence playing Sophie on FX’s The Bear, working with Curtis was a masterclass in professionalism. Born on June 18, 2007, in Los Angeles, California, Hammons was just 16 when filming began. She’d seen Curtis on TV since childhood — not just as a scream queen, but as a humanitarian. That’s why the WIF 2025 event felt surreal. On the same night she spoke about Curtis’s singing refusal, Curtis accepted the Jane Fonda Humanitarian Award, recognizing decades of advocacy for women’s rights and mental health awareness.

"She’s not just an icon," Hammons said. "She’s the kind of person who shows up when it matters — even if she won’t sing in a musical." The contrast was striking: one woman, still in her teens, learning how to navigate fame; the other, a veteran who’s mastered the art of saying no — and still commanding the room.

What’s Next for the Freaky Friday Franchise?

Disney hasn’t officially greenlit a third film, but sources confirm preliminary talks are scheduled to begin in January 2026. With Hammons and Lohan both open to returning, and Curtis’s performance — singing or not — having resonated so strongly, a sequel isn’t just possible. It’s likely. The question isn’t whether there’ll be another body-swap. It’s who’ll be swapping next.

Behind the Scenes: The Real Cost of a Singing Refusal

Curtis isn’t the first actor to draw a line in the sand. Tom Cruise famously refused to sing in Rock of Ages (2012), though he did learn to play guitar. Meryl Streep famously declined to sing live in Mamma Mia! (2008), though she later performed in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018). But Curtis’s stance feels different — less about ability, more about identity. She’s never been a musical performer. She’s never pretended to be. And in an industry that often demands versatility, that clarity is rare.

The real lesson? You don’t have to do everything to be great. Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is know your limits — and still show up, fully.