1. Based on Mary Rodgers’ 1972 novel of the same name, the 2003 Freaky Friday is the second remake of the same story. The first film adaptation was released in 1976, while a made-for-television take followed in 1995.
2. The film’s producer Andrew Gunn reached out to Jodie Foster, who played Annabel in the 1976 film, with the hope that she would be interested in taking on the mother role. Foster passed on the opportunity as she was concerned her casting would be a distraction.
3. Annette Bening was cast to play Tess Coleman, but dropped out six days before filming was set to begin.
4. After rising to fame as the original scream queen, Halloween star Jamie Lee Curtis thought her leading lady days were behind her when she was approached by director Mark Waters to replace Bening.
“I was telling interviewers I was 44, a little chubby, my hair was grey, I was refusing to dye it, and I was content with my life,” Curtis told the Telegraph in 2003. “In this business, I’ve always known there’s a point at which the best thing to do is gently back out of the door.”
