Jamie Lee Curtis explains why she 'hated' filming 'New Girl' guest appearances

Jamie Lee Curtis has praised New Girl as a “great show” while explaining why she disliked filming her guest appearances on the series.

Speaking during NBCUniversal’s Summer Backlot Experience on August 10, Curtis discussed her preference for multi-camera sitcoms and her experience appearing on the Zooey Deschanel-led comedy. The actress played Jess’ mother in New Girl, which was filmed using a single-camera format.

“I’m telling you, I have begged my agents to do [it]. And by the way, I did a single camera, which I hated,” Curtis said.

Curtis clarified that her criticism was directed at the production format rather than New Girl itself.

“It’s a great show, New Girl, very funny, but doing it is just like doing a movie,” she said. “You know, you’ve got a camera crew, and nobody laughs. It’s silent, and it’s awful. For me, awful. Single-camera comedies, for me, not fun.”

Curtis said she had spent years asking her agents to find her another multi-camera sitcom, following her experience on Anything But Love, which she starred in with Richard Lewis from 1989 to 1992.

“I’ve just simply been begging, begging people to do it,” she said.

She is now executive producing and appearing in Newlyweds, an NBC multi-camera sitcom starring Téa Leoni and Tim Daly. The series follows a free-spirited woman and a professor who impulsively marry after a whirlwind romance.

Curtis said the project allowed her to create the sitcom opportunity she had wanted for years while also taking on a greater role behind the scenes.

“I’ve been doing it not as a boss for a long, long time. And now I’m a boss, and I love it,” she said.

The actress also described her longstanding interest in sitcoms, saying she enjoys the rehearsal process and performing jokes with the cameras.

“Every single year, all I’ve ever said to my agents is ‘I want to do a sitcom, all I want to do is a sitcom,’” she said.

Newlyweds is scheduled to debut on NBC on October 23 at 8:30 p.m. ET.