Legendary filmmaker James L. Brooks’ return to the director’s chair with highly anticipated political dramedy, Ella McCay with his signature blend of warmth, wit and sharp observation that has continued to define his celebrated career. While the film centres on lieutenant governor Ella McCay (Emma Mackey), two actors who elevate the material are cinematic titans, Jamie Lee Curtis and Albert Brooks.

The presence of Curtis is, quite predictably, a lightning rod of energy—she takes on the pivotal role of Aunt Helen McCay, the fearless, supportive aunt to the 34-year-old titular lieutenant governor who unexpectedly becomes the governor of her state in 2008. Ella must immediately navigate a career-threatening scandal and complicated family dynamics, including her volatile husband, estranged father (Woody Harrelson) and her fiercely supportive Aunt Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis).

It’s easy to see the through-line between Aunt Helen and Curtis, who is often seen advocating for and championing people in the industry and in her life. But the actress believes there’s “very little” she shares with the role, graciously deferring credit to the script itself.

Helen’s fierce loyalty and unwavering support for Ella are, to Curtis, purely the result of Brooks’ writing. “The character that’s written—the way that Helen supports Ella and the way that she is a fearless advocate for Ella—is all on the page,” she asserted. Though she doesn’t think she is as brave as Aunt Helen, she deeply admires the character’s qualities, emphasizing the profound honor of the invitation, noting that James L. Brooks wrote her a letter asking her to play Helen in a script that was in his head for 15 years.

Curtis pulled back the curtain on Brooks’s creative process, revealing a set where the script is not static, but constantly evolving. She describes the director as perpetually refining his work, armed with a pen: “Jim has a blue felt tip Pentel pen that he uses and in rehearsal he will write things down.” She noted that his heavily revised scripts “would be a treasure to find for a school.”

Albert Brooks described his collaboration with the director as feeling like “an old, comfortable jacket.” The working style felt familiar, and he observed that Jim had “as much energy as I’ve ever seen him, as much as 30 years ago.”

When asked about the electric chemistry between him and Curtis due to their strong comic timing, Brooks explained that the seamless, funny dialogue often perceived as improvisation is a mix of brilliant writing and carefully prepared alternate lines. The key to the spontaneity is the process: “We always do the takes exactly as written and then when he’s happy, he says, ‘Do one for you.’”

Spike Fearn, who plays Ella’s younger brother Casey also had high praise for the director. “He’s got such an amazing mind… I was just like, wow, this guy’s a genius. I just felt so safe with Jim there. Every time he’d laugh, you’d feel like, ‘Okay, I’m doing a good job. I’m making him happy.’”

This fluid environment led to the creation of one of the film’s most striking moments in my books—a cathartic screaming match in the kitchen between Ella and Aunt Helen. As a fan of the iconic Halloween franchise, I was pleased to see that easter egg, wondering if that was deliberately written in for her. 

Curtis is candid about her relief that the scene was “not in the original script” but emerged during the process of revision and rehearsal. She believes its spontaneous scene saved it from being a cynical nod to her “Scream Queen” legacy. Instead, the moment was genuine, a release that “came out of the repression that Ella was feeling.”

Naturally, I had to ask the scream queen when was the last time she truly screamed like that in real life, even therapeutically. Curtis dismantled her own on-screen mythology, confessing that to a far quieter temperament than her film roles suggest. “I’m not that person. I get mad. I’m not that screamer. I might drop an expletive and get very coarse. I can get a little angry, but I’m pretty quiet, to be honest. I know it’s hard to believe but it’s true,” she grinned. 

Ella McCay is an endearing film and a showcase for Emma Mackey, who previously impressed critics with her role in Sex Education and Emily. Curtis becomes everyone’s favourite aunt, and quite often, steals the show with the kinetic energy and deadpan humour, as she continues to enjoy this phase of her career. 

Ella McCay is in theatres December 12.

Feature image by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for 20th Century Studios.