The Jaws Actress Who Went Up Against Jamie Lee Curtis For Halloween's Laurie Strode
It's hard to picture anybody but the iconic Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode in John Carpenter's "Halloween," but she wasn't a shoe-in for the role by any means. Carpenter thought she had the right stuff on her first audition, but you must remember that at the time she was just another unproven actress in a town overflowing with unproven actresses, albeit not all of them had superstar parents like Jamie Lee.
Laurie Strode put Jamie Lee Curtis on the map, no question about it, but there was some competition for the role, and the fun part is we have to play a little guessing game to figure out who that competition was.
On the "Halloween" commentary with Carpenter and Curtis, they bring up the actress who was Jamie Lee's main competition ... but they can't remember her name!
First of all, Curtis thought it was Joan Prather, best known for "Eight is Enough," but Carpenter immediately shot that down, telling his leading lady that the actress who almost stole her role was "the girl from 'Jaws 2'." But he couldn't remember her name, just that "I thought she did well with the terror part, but not as good as you. But I didn't know that at the time."
There are a few actresses in "Jaws 2" he could be referring to, but the most likely candidate, the one that fits the character of Laurie Strode the best, is Ann Dusenberry.
Does 'Halloween' even work without Jamie Lee Curtis?
Dusenberry played Tina in the "Jaws" sequel, and Carpenter is right that she can play terrified extremely well. In "Jaws 2" she watches her boyfriend eaten by the shark and is stranded alone in their little boat until Chief Brody (Roy Schieder) and his wife (Lorraine Gary) find her. When they do, she's in shock and terrified beyond belief, and the scene where she clings on to them screaming "Sh-Sh-Sh-Shark!" is super effective.
Would she have been a good Laurie Strode? You know, I can see it. What I'm not so sure about is if "Halloween" loses a vital piece of what made it such a massive success if you swap out Jamie Lee Curtis, even for an actress who would absolutely nail the part. Curtis's instincts for the character set the template for decades of final girls to come. She brought a casual innocence to the part that might not have been the instinct of another actress.
In short, it's fascinating to think about this alternate world "Halloween" starring "the girl from 'Jaws 2'," but I wouldn't trade Jamie Lee Curtis in the role of Laurie Strode for damn near anything.
One final note: Carpenter must have really been paying attention to "Jaws 2," because he would later cast another actor from that movie — Keith Gordon — as the lead in 1983's "Christine." So, let's start the rumor that John Carpenter friggin' loves "Jaws 2." I think he'd appreciate it.