It’s been a little over two decades since Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan starred together in 2003’s Freaky Friday.

Now the body-swapping duo has returned in the long-awaited sequel Freakier Friday.

Freakier Friday not only follows up with the characters of Anna and Tess Coleman but also introduces a story that explores themes of healing, family and perspective.

Lindsay Lohan is back on the big screen

“I really enjoyed playing Anna originally, so to be able to bring her back and show everyone on screen who she is today was an exciting thing for me to do. It’s not every day as an actor that you get to kind of bring a character back to life, especially one that is so loved,” Lohan told Blavity’s Shadow and Act of her return to the big screen.

Lohan, a mother now, incorporates elements of her personal life into her character as viewers meet Anna again, all grown up, as she manages her career as a music executive, a budding romance and motherhood to her daughter, Harper, played by Julia Butters.

Butters, who wasn’t yet born when the original film premiered, said walking into a role with such a well-known cast “was crazy.”

“I was so excited to join because I wanted to get to know Lindsay and Jamie, meet Sophia. … I couldn’t wait to build that sister relationship,” she said.

Butters admitted, “There was definitely pressure,” but she put it on herself.

“Finding out how much I can trust myself and let go of my instincts and just let the character take over, that was definitely very inspiring for me,” she continued with a laugh. “I mean, it’s just Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis.”

Jamie Lee Curtis connects across time

Curtis reprises her role as Tess, the overprotective therapist mother who now supports Anna in her motherhood journey. Curtis’ comedic timing and ability to connect with her on-camera family come through as she navigates generational differences in the story.

The Oscar winner stated that connecting with others is the point and discussed the impact of telling stories that resonate with audiences of all ages and being in the moment together.

“I don’t know how there could be any other point,” she said, adding, “That’s the whole point of art.”

Curtis’ on- and off-screen presence is also reflected in her rapport with costar Sophia Hammons. Hammons plays Lily Reyes, the fashionable daughter of Anna’s boyfriend-turned-fiancé Eric, and Tess’ body swap.

Curtis reacted with surprise when Hammons recalled having “Freaky Friday” days in school, despite also not being born when the original film was released.

In the film, Hammons’ character has trouble connecting with the Coleman women from the start. Her London upbringing contrasts with Harper’s California surfer girl personality, and she works to prevent her father and Anna from marrying.

Move over, Jake; there’s a new guy in town

Actor Manny Jacinto plays restaurateur Eric Reyes, who meets Anna after a disagreement between their daughters turns into a moment of connection for the single father.

“I had to pinch myself a little bit,” Jacinto said of joining the cast of the sequel.

Jacinto shows range in the film, from dance sequences during wedding preparations to navigating the reappearance of Anna’s teenage crush, Jake, played by Chad Michael Murray.

Murray, who returned with his character’s ongoing fascination with Tess and signature blonde hair, said the cast dynamic felt the same as it did decades earlier.

“It feels like we never left,” he said of joining Curtis and Lohan onscreen again. “It picked up where we left off, you know what I mean? And more and more because I think everybody’s just a little bit more comfortable in their skin.” He continued, “You’ve lived a lot more life, which we had tons of stories to talk about, which was great.”

Nostalgia with a heart

The new film follows the same spell-induced plot as the original; this time, the Chinese fortune cookie is a hex placed on the characters by Saturday Night Live alum Vanessa Bayer.

Her role as Madame Jen brings together the events that unfold between the characters.

“We improvised a lot of stuff,” she said, mentioning, “Sort of every scene, we would have time to play around.”

She continued, “It was really fun because they were all so funny, so I was going into the scenes being like, ‘What if I can make them laugh; I’m gonna try and make them break.'”

Freakier Friday includes a Pink Slip performance and focuses on the idea of different generations seeing the world from each other’s perspectives, even if through a triple-body swap.

Watch the full interview below:

Freakier Friday

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