In the long-awaited sequel to 2003’s Freaky Friday, the latest Freaky Friday installment passes the baton to Tess and Anna’s daughters, mixing old charm with fresh chaos. While Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan’s seasoned performances bring warmth and wit, it’s the electrifying chemistry between the younger leads that truly steals the spotlight.
What You’ll Find in This Article
- The Snapshot: Freakier Friday Explained
- How Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan Elevate Freakier Friday
- Why Julia Butters and Sophia Hammons Are the Heart of Freakier Friday
- A Look at the Careers of the Freakier Friday Cast
The Snapshot: Freakier Friday Explained
Twenty years after Tess and Anna Coleman switched bodies, their daughters are caught in the same high jinks. Anna’s daughter and her soon-to-be-stepdaughter, who hate each other, are among the four who switch bodies in the latest installment of the franchise.
Freakier Friday is now showing in theaters.
The Performances of Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan in Freakier Friday
There’s little to be said about what Jamie Lee Curtis brings to a role. She’s a pro’s pro, who was deservedly rewarded with an Oscar for her work in Everything Everywhere All at Once. While she’s played a teen before, it was 20 years ago, and it’s clear she’s having even more fun this time around.
Likewise, Lindsay Lohan has moved past her troubles to remind us that she’s always been an extremely talented performer. Her role as her daughter’s body-swapped self solidifies that.
Most of her time on screen is spent with Curtis, and the two of them are having a blast. As we have discussed in this space before, there’s no substitute for great chemistry.
Why Julia Butters and Sophia Hammons Are the Heart of Freakier Friday
Here’s the thing about Freakier Friday. The Curtis-Lohan sequences are fun, but they don’t compare to the moments with the two younger cast members — Julia Butters as Anna’s daughter, Harper, and newcomer Sophia Hammons as Harper’s soon-to-be step-sister, Lily — when they share the screen.
It’s one thing for experienced actors like Curtis and Lohan to embrace their inner teens. It’s a different story when those same teens need to age up to play adults.
At 16, Butters has been on screen for more than half her life. It’s a trait she shares with her older co-stars and a journey that requires an innate skill many people decades older spend a lifetime trying to attain.
Hammons, meanwhile, plays a Brit, which is only worth noting because she’s from Colorado. This movie’s production moved forward so quickly that Disney couldn’t hire an actual British teen to play the role because there was no time to get the proper work visas. Hammons won the role through an enormous open casting call.
“To her credit, she worked so hard on that accent,” Casting Director Randi Hiller said. “She’d had less than two months to nail it, and [it was] her first lead in a movie, and all these other things, and she, with a great attitude and a great will to work, just stepped up to the plate.”
The haughty English accent immediately signals that Lily is on the snooty side. This ensures she and Harper start the film hating each other, which is the core of a Freaky Friday story, where switching bodies forces characters to understand each other.
When we talk about chemistry, it’s impossible not to talk about how dynamite the two teens are together. Every scene they play is electric, blowing the more experienced pair off the screen.
It’s hard to surprise an audience anymore, especially when you’re dealing in broad farce like this. As entertaining as it is to see Lohan and Curtis return to such indelible roles, it’s astonishing to see two young performers show such maturity and skill on screen, not just in their performances, but in their presence and star power.
We’ve known about Butters for a while now, but Hammons is about to become a superstar, as well. Based solely on this film, it’s a no-brainer.
A Look at the Careers of the Freakier Friday Cast
People often forget that Jamie Lee Curtis wasn’t just the original scream queen; she was the first Final Girl. Halloween, The Fog, Prom Night, Terror Train, the list goes on. However, Curtis went mainstream with her role as Ophelia in the beloved 1983 Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy comedy Trading Places.
While Curtis continued to work in horror after Trading Places, she became a crossover star thanks to her work in A Fish Called Wanda and True Lies. She’s one of the rare actresses who has continued to act well into her senior citizen years without ever losing the bankability that afflicted so many of her peers.
Everything Everywhere All at Once was the crowning achievement of her career, of course, but all she has done since is keep working.
Lindsay Lohan was one of the biggest child stars in history — starting with The Parent Trap and continuing through Mean Girls — and that led to some personal troubles that we won’t get into.
After suffering through a career crisis in her 20s, she reclaimed a certain level of respect, one film and TV appearance at a time. Now, closing in on 40, she’s once again carrying her movies, like the recent Netflix romantic comedies Irish Wish and Our Little Secret.
We know all about Curtis and Lohan, but it’s Butters and Hammons who are the real draws here.
Butters has been acting professionally since the age of six, appearing in the Emmy-winning series Transparent and the ABC series American Housewife. That said, it was her role opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood that truly announced her presence.
Similarly flashy roles in The Grey Man and The Fabelmans only solidified Butters as a star to watch, and the sky’s the limit.
Hammons has had small roles in films like The Social Dilemma and Under Wraps, but as Hiller pointed out, this is her first starring role — and there’s nothing freaky about her talent. Hammons has got it in spades, and it’s only a matter of time before she starts leading her films.
Final Takeaways
Navigating a crowded acting field can feel overwhelming, but there are clear lessons to be drawn from the performances and careers of Julia Butters and Sophia Hammons. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you build your path.
- Fully commit to your role, even when it means stepping outside your comfort zone (e.g.,: mastering an accent or age range).
- Build strong chemistry with your co-stars; great relationships on screen elevate every scene.
- View every role as a chance to sharpen your craft and showcase your presence.
- Stay resilient through career ups and downs; persistence paired with growth keeps doors open.
- Be ready to seize unexpected opportunities, whether it’s an open casting call or a last-minute casting change.
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