The original film (which itself was a remake of a successful Disney live-action film from the 1970s) centres around a quarrelling mother-daughter duo who switch bodies once a spell takes effect, with unexpected consequences.
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So far, the remake has been well-received by critics, many of whom have hailed it as a worthy successor to the first instalment that so many of us already knew and loved.
In honour of the sequel’s release, we’ve rounded up 14 facts you probably never knew about the hit movie…
Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis in Freaky Friday
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1. Lindsay’s character was originally supposed to be a goth
When the Parent Trap star read the original script, she thought Anna’s character was a bit too scruffy. “There was nothing there, no one can relate to the character when she’s really goth,” she told Vanity Fair in 2006.
To recreate her own envision, LiLo turned up to the audition dressed extremely preppy, which worked to her benefit as the character was rewritten.
2. The shots in the opening credits are actual photos of Jamie Lee Curtis and her daughter Annie Guest
Jamie Lee Curtis and her daughter Annie Guest
We all love a fake snapshot or two at the beginning of a film, but who knew the photos at the start of Freaky Friday captured true moments from Jamie Lee’s real life?
One sees her daughter as a toddler laying on her mother’s back, with her arms tightly placed around her neck.
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3. Lindsay had to give Jamie Lee precise lessons on how to say ‘shut up’
During a promotional interview on YouTube, the Everything, Everywhere All At Once actor admitted to needing help from her then-teenage co-star with the specific way she said “shut up!”.
“There’s a way she says ‘shut up’ that I couldn’t get. She had to give me a ‘shut up’ tutorial because it’s a very specific way,” Jamie Lee said.
Meanwhile, Jamie Lee, who was raising 16-year-old daughter Annie Guest at the time, claimed that starring in this film with a young person helped her see things from her child’s point of view.
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“I think I probably have a judgmental bitch badge that I put on because I can be harsh, and I think that walking a mile in some very uncomfortable teenage shoes gave me the opportunity to see what it’s like on the other side,” she said.
4. Gwen Stefani was offered a role as a member of the band
Paul Archuleta via Getty Images
According to IMDB, the US singer was offered a role as a member of Anna’s band, but sadly we didn’t get to see that happen – although we think she would have been a perfect addition to that cast.
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5. Michelle Trachtenberg was supposed to be Anna
MICHAEL TRAN via Getty Images
The Ice Princess star was first to be cast as the mouthy teenager, but had to back out of the project due to her her contract with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where she played Dawn Summers.
This was actually the second film Michelle turned down in which LiLo later landed the lead gig – the first being The Parent Trap in 1998, in which Lindsay made her name.
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6. Kelly Osbourne also auditioned for the role
Denise Truscello via Getty Images
The star, known for her family reality show The Osbournes, was also offered the part of Anna after auditioning, but had to pull out after her mother Sharon was diagnosed with cancer.
Kelly later described how people told her it was the biggest mistake of her career, due to the success of the film.
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7. Meanwhile, Madonna reportedly had her eye on the role of Tess
Madonna in 2003, the year Freaky Friday was released
Hahn Lionel/ABACA/Shutterstock
Jodie Foster was the first pick, having played the teenage daughter in Disney’s first Freaky Friday movie, and when she declined the role, it went to Annette Bening.
8. Because of this, Jamie Lee Curtis was actually cast just days before shooting began
Still, it was obviously a case of the stars aligning, as Jamie Lee and Lindsay’s chemistry was undeniable, and they’ve spoken highly about one another repeatedly over the decades.
9. Lindsay Lohan’s real mum also made an appearance in the movie
LiLo’s mum Dina can be seen in the final scene where Anna is dancing with Jake. Dina is in the background dancing with an older man, but there is an awkward moment where she is seen looking directly at the camera.
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10. The famous Anna and Tess collision scene is similar to a scene in Bewitched
Anna and Tess’ idea to collide at full force in an attempt to reverse the spell is similar to a scene in 1966′s Bewitched: Divided He Falls, where Darrin is split into two people and Endora suggests he do the same to break the spell.
However, in this scene, the trick had the desired effect.
11. Lindsay had her first on-screen kiss in Freaky Friday
In a behind the scene YouTube clip, Lindsay admitted that the kiss she shared with co-star Chad Michael Murray was the first she had done on screen.
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12. The film paid homage to Jamie Lee Curtis’ mother
A character named Mr Bates appears in the film as a tribute to the actor’s mother, Janet Leigh who is best known for her performance in the 1960 film Psycho.
Mr Bates is a reference to Norman Bates’ character in the classic movie.
13. A member of the band Orgy instructed Jamie on how to play the guitar for the last scene
Moviestore/Shutterstock
Orgy, an American rock band formed in 1994, offered up one of their members to teach Jamie Lee how to play the guitar, and although the actor practiced making the concert scene look as authentic as possible, a studio musician dubbed over the guitar solo in the finished film.
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14. Freaky Friday is actually based on Mary Rodgers’ 1972 novel of the same name
Rodgers’ story was adapted many times, including the original Disney version in 1976, which starred future Oscar winner Jodie Foster in her child actor years.
In 2020, it was the source for the movie Freaky, which focuses on a teenage girl who unintentionally swaps bodies with a middle-aged male serial killer.
Pop fans – the time has come to start updating your Christmas playlists.
This year, we’ve really been spoilt, with some of the biggest names in music unveiling brand new festive offerings, including seasonal tunes from the likes of Lizzo, Sam Smith and Alicia Keys.
Fortunately for those who don’t feel like sifting through every single new song to sort out the “naughty” from the “nice”, we’ve done all the hard work for you.
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Here’s our take on some of the biggest new Christmas releases for this year, starting with something very special indeed…
Lindsay Lohan – Jingle Bell Rock, feat. Ali Tomineek
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Oh, Santa has been good to us this year. Not only is 2022 the year we finally got a Lindsay Lohan comeback in the wonderfully cheesy Netflix original Falling For Christmas, it also came with a bonus stocking filler in the form of a new musical offering from the criminally-underrated artiste.
What’s more, the track is a cover of the festive staple Jingle Bell Rock, in a nod to one of the most iconic scenes of Lindsay’s signature film, Mean Girls.
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All in all, we’re very much here for her take on Jingle Bell Rock, and we enjoy what the musical team did in terms of bringing the song up to date without taking it too far away from the original. Still, we have had to deduct marks for the completely unnecessary addition of a rap verse (a bit of digging reveals Ali Tomineek originally rose to prominence on the Netflix talent search Rhythm + Flow, which may well explain how he came to be on the track in the first place).
Sample lyric: What a bright time, it’s the right time to rock the night away.
It can be the case that when a big-name singer releases a holiday album they spend the afternoon recording a few covers, slap some sleigh bells on it, pose in some fake snow for the artwork and call it a day.
Well, we’re happy to see that’s not the approach Alicia Keys has taken, with her new festive release featuring four original tracks (including a co-write with Emeli Sandé!) alongside covers of Santa Baby, Happy Xmas (War Is Over) and The Christmas song.
The stand-out is lead single December Back 2 June which mixes a retro R&B vibe with a modern sound in that way Alica does so well. It’s also a bit of a bop, with lyrics referencing how the festive season makes her feel nostalgic for the past year with a loved one. Ask us next year whether it’s made our permanent playlist, but we’ll definitely be giving it a spin this December at the very least.
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Sample lyric: “For this Christmas, don’t need wishes, not since I met you, every season, you’ll give reason to love you from December back to June”
As part of Amazon Music’s Christmas celebrations, Lizzo has chosen to delve deep into the festive vaults and cover Stevie Wonder’s classic Someday At Christmas, a full 55 years after it was first released.
While “peace on earth” is a pretty popular Yuletide lyrical theme, Someday At Christmas takes a more specific approach in its lyrics right from the opening line: “Someday at Christmas, men won’t be boys, playing with bombs like kids play with toys.”
The lyrics certainly pack a punch, and as you’d expect from a good Stevie Wonder cover, the production is definitely a 60s throwback. And there’s certainly no arguing with Lizzo’s vocal abilities here.
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Sample lyric: “Someday all our dreams will come to be, someday in a world where we are free, maybe not in time for you and me, but someday at Christmas time.”
Anyone looking for something new to cosy up to in front of the fire while slurping down mulled wine and looking out of the window at where snow would no doubt be cascading if climate change hadn’t stopped us from ever having a white Christmas again is in luck.
Sam Smith’s new slow jam is very much in their usual wheelhouse (it’s certainly more Stay With Me than Unholy, in case anyone is worried about a festive jump-scare), and there’s no denying it’s a pretty song that would be the perfect soundtrack to an under-the-mistletoe moment.
Still, it’s not exactly imaginative, which is a shame as just a couple of years ago Sam gave us the brilliantly unique Christmas tune The Lighthouse Keeper, which is definitely the superior of their two festive originals.
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Sample lyric: “Come rest your weary head on my chest, the year is behind us, we’re still at our best, the magic of Christmas is what’s coming next, so lean in and kiss me and all of the rest.”
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You might be surprised to see Sir Cliff on our round-up of contemporary festive tunes, but with three Christmas number ones to his name, and a new album out for 2022, we’d be remiss not to include him.
This track is the lead single from the crooner’s new album Christmas With Cliff, beginning with some pretty standard lyrics about how “the streets are glistening with lights”, “the air is getting cold outside” and “the snow is falling from above”, but by the time we get to the chorus it becomes apparent that the “Heart Of Christmas” Sir Cliff is singing about is, Jesus. To be fair, his most recent number one was a reimagined version of The Lord’s Prayer so we could probably have seen this coming.
“Hear the angels singing out, unto us a child is born,” he sings on the chorus. “Jesus, the heart of Christmas.”
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So, yeah – this one probably isn’t for everybody. But at the same time, we can’t pretend this isn’t among the catchier Christmas tunes on the list…
Sample lyric: “Listen and you hear the sound, the song they sang in Bethlehem is forever.”
Our rating: 🎄🎄🎄
Jinkx Monsoon And BenDeLaCreme – Looking At The Lights
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Fans of drag duo Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme might already know this original festive tune, as it was featured in their 2021 holiday special. This year, it’s been given a proper single release, which we’re over the moon about, as it hopefully means even more people will now discover it.
Written by BenDeLaCreme and performed by the recently-crowned “Queen of All Queens” Jinkx, Looking At The Lights is a sorrowful, musical theatre-inspired torch song that will certainly speak to anyone who finds this particular time of year difficult.
Still, don’t go thinking it’s all doom and gloom. Yes, Looking At The Lights does highlight the many reasons a lot of us struggle in the winter, but also highlights how having even just one person in your corner, whether that be a partner, friend or family member, can often be enough to get you through it.
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Sample lyric: “You may see a tree wonder what’s the use… maybe there’s no use, just a nice excuse for me to sit beside you on these cold and lonely nights.”
Our rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
Rosie Thomas and Sufjan Stevens – We Should Be Together
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The second we heard that Rosie Thomas and Sufjan Stevens had teamed up to record a Christmas tune, we knew we were in for something truly devastating. And yet, there was still no preparing for quite how much of an emotional listen this would be.
On We Should Be Together, Rosie sings from the perspective of someone who’s hoping for a Yuletide reconciliation, after a pivotal relationship came to an end in the summer, with some truly heartbreaking lyrics comparing the relationship to a Christmas jumper the protagonist has spent the last year working on.
Between the lyrics and the beautiful way Rosie and Sufjan’s voices complement one another, We Should Be Together is an extremely effective festive effort. Admittedly, it’s probably a little too sad to stick on between Slade and Wizzard (unless you fancy crying into your turkey on Christmas day), but it’s the perfect soundtrack to a moody walk in the snow.
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Sample lyric: “The pieces wouldn’t fit, not enough fit to make it through a winter, we’ve pulled this thread too long to let it come undone now, I still believe we still belong someway, somehow, so I’ll be home for Christmas time…”
Lindsay Lohan got the holiday season ― and her long-awaited comeback ― off to a spirited start this week with a modern twist on a yuletide classic.
On Friday, the actor unveiled her rendition of Jingle Bell Rock, which will be featured in Falling For Christmas, her forthcoming Netflix comedy.
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Jingle Bell Rock was made famous in 1957 by country musician Bobby Helms. Lohan’s version, of course, is a playful wink at her own cinematic legacy. She first performed the song in the smash 2004 film Mean Girls alongside co-stars Lacey Chabert, Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried.
In the 18 years since the movie was released, their iconic rendition – which took place at a high school talent show, with Tina Fey on the piano – has gone on to inspire countlesstributes on YouTube, TikTok and other platforms.
Listen to Lindsay Lohan’s Jingle Bell Rock below…
Due out 10 November, Falling For Christmas follows spoiled hotel heiress Sierra (Lohan), who is stricken with amnesia after being injured in a skiing accident.
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In true rom-com fashion, Sierra begins her recovery in the care of a handsome ski lodge owner, Jake (Chord Overstreet), and his young daughter (Olivia Perez) just days before Christmas.
Directed by Janeen Damian, Falling For Christmas marks Lindsay’s first leading role in a major movie since 2013’s The Canyons. She’s also an executive producer on the film, which is the first in a three-picture deal with Netflix.
Chord Overstreet (left) and Lindsay Lohan in Netflix’s Falling for Christmas, out 10 November
Scott Everett White/Netflix
In recent years, Lindsay has maintained a low profile, and currently resides in Dubai with husband Bader Shammas, whom she married in July. She’s also been frank in interviews about her experiences with drug and alcohol addiction during her early years in Hollywood.
As of late, however, she has hinted that she’s eager to resume her career. She’s described being on the set of Falling For Christmas as a “rebirth.”
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“It was really comforting to me, when I got the script, to see a movie that was a rom-com because it’s always fun to work on something lighthearted and family-oriented that makes people happy and provides a bit of an escape,” she told Cosmopolitan in an interview published on Monday. “And I was excited to kind of come back, to do something with Netflix, who is a big family in a way. It was the right fit for me, especially to be able to executive produce it.”
This month marks 18 years since one of the most entertaining films to leave Walt Disney Pictures graced our cinema screens – Freaky Friday.
It showcases a mother-daughter duo – played by Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis – who switch bodies once a spell takes effect, with unexpected consequences.
A remake of Disney’s previous 1976 and 1995 adaptations, the 2003 family comedy was a major success, with many young people and their parents finding it hilariously relatable to their lives in one way or another.
To mark Freaky Friday’s milestone anniversary, we’ve uncovered 13 facts you probably didn’t know about it.
DisneyLindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis in Freaky Friday
1. Lindsay’s character was originally supposed to be a goth
When the Parent Trap star read the original script, she thought Anna’s character was a bit too scruffy. “There was nothing there, no one can relate to the character when she’s really goth,” she told Vanity Fair in 2006.
To recreate her own envision, LiLo turned up to the audition dressed extremely preppy, which worked to her benefit as the character was rewritten.
2. The shots in the opening credits are actual photos of Jamie Lee Curtis and her daughter Annie Guest
DisneyJamie Lee Curtis and her daughter Annie Guest
We all love a fake snapshot or two at the beginning of a film, but who knew the photos at the start of Freaky Friday actually captured true moments from Jamie Lee’s real life.
One sees her daughter as a toddler laying on her mother’s back, with her arms tightly placed around her neck.
3. Lindsay had to give Jamie Lee precise lessons on how to say ‘shut up’
During a promotional interview on YouTube, the True Lies actor admitted to needing help from her then-teenage co-star with the specific way she said ‘shut up!’
“There’s a way she says shut up that I couldn’t get. She had to give me a ‘shut up’ tutorial because it’s a very specific way,” she said.
Jamie Lee, who was raising 16-year-old daughter Annie Guest at the time, claimed that starring in this film with a young person helped her see things from her child’s point of view.
“I think I probably have a judgmental bitch badge that I put on because I can be harsh, and I think that walking a mile in some very uncomfortable teenage shoes gave me the opportunity to see what it’s like on the other side,” she said.
4. Gwen Stefani was offered a role as a member of the band
Paul Archuleta via Getty Images
According to IMDB, the US singer was offered a role as a member of Anna’s band, but sadly we didn’t get to see that happen – although we think she would have been a perfect addition to that cast.
5. Michelle Trachtenberg was supposed to be Anna
MICHAEL TRAN via Getty Images
The Ice Princess star was first to be cast as the mouthy teenager, but had to back out of the project due to her her contract with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where she played Dawn Summers.
This was actually the second film Michelle turned down in which LiLo later landed the lead gig – the first being The Parent Trap in 1998, in which Lindsay made her name.
6. Kelly Osbourne also auditioned for the role
Denise Truscello via Getty Images
The star, known for her family reality show The Osbournes, was also offered the part of Anna after auditioning, but had to pull out after her mother Sharon was diagnosed with cancer.
Kelly later described how people told her it was the biggest mistake of her career, due to the success of the film.
7. Lindsay’s mum made an appearance in the movie
Disney
LiLo’s mum Dina can be seen in the final scene where Anna is dancing with Jake. Dina is in the background dancing with an older man, but there is an awkward moment where she is seen looking directly at the camera.
8. The famous Anna and Tess collision scene is similar to a scene in Bewitched
Anna and Tess’ idea to collide at full force in an attempt to reverse the spell is similar to a scene in 1966′s Bewitched: Divided He Falls, where Darrin is split into two people and Endora suggests he do the same to break the spell.
However, in this scene, the trick had the desired effect.
9. Lindsay had her first on-screen kiss in Freaky Friday
Disney
In a behind the scene YouTube clip, Lindsay admitted that the kiss she shared with co-star Chad Michael Murray was the first she had done on screen.
10. Lindsay went on to win three awards for the movie
Freaky Friday quickly became a Disney fan favourite in the early 2000s and Linday took home three awards for her performance of both Anna and Tess Coleman.
At the 2004 Teen Choice Awards, she won Choice Breakout Movie Star and Choice Hissy Fit. She then added to that at the MTV Movie Awards, receiving the Best Breakthrough Award in 2004.
11. The film paid homage to Jamie Lee Curtis’ mother
A character named Mr Bates appears in the film as a tribute to the actor’s mother, Janet Leigh who is best known for her performance in the 1960 film Psycho.
Mr Bates is a reference to Norman Bates’ character in the classic movie.
12. A member of the band Orgy instructed Jamie on how to play the guitar for the last scene
Moviestore/Shutterstock
Orgy, an American rock band formed in 1994, offered up one of their members to teach Jamie Lee how to play the guitar, and although the actor practiced making the concert scene look as authentic as possible, a studio musician dubbed over the guitar solo in the finished film.
13. Freaky Friday is based on Mary Rodgers 1972 novel of the same name
Rodgers’ story was adapted many times, including the original Disney version in 1976.
In 2020, it was the source for the movie Freaky, which focuses on a teenage girl who unintentionally swaps bodies with a middle-aged male serial killer.
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