Years After Freaky Friday’s Release, Mark Harmon Discusses What It’s Like Reuniting With Co-Star Jamie Lee Curtis

Side by side of Mark Harmon and Jamie Lee Curtis from Freaky Friday.
(Image credit: Disney)

With Freakier Friday officially on the way, and premiering amid our 2025 movie schedule the countdown is on. The long-awaited Disney sequel has been a buzz amongst its fans and OG stars. Mark Harmon, who played Jamie Lee Curtis’ love interest, Ryan, is returning to reprise the role. He has been sharing what it’s like to head back to the iconic 2003 movie and how sweet it is to reunite with co-star and longtime friend Jamie Lee Curtis.

Harmon is best known for the family body-swapping comedy along with his involvement in the long-running series NCIS. And although he has strayed from his acting roots, he is still finding the time to balance Hollywood with his newest title, best-selling author. The author and actor opened up about his unexpected path to co-authoring Ghosts of Panama, his ties to NCIS: Origins and the much anticipated Freakier Friday with The Hollywood Reporter.

When asked about his professional and personal relationship with Curtis, the Chasing Liberty alum had to say only great things about her and how he’s thankful for their relationship. He said:

It’s comfortable with Jamie and always has been. I’ve known her since she was 15 or 16. Obviously, it’s a different story now, and yet I enjoy time with her. When you look at the long form of life, you’re talking about moments with people and sharing them and being with people you liked being with. That’s always been true about her for me, so I was pleased to do that.

It’s great to hear that he has nothing but love for the Everything Everywhere All At Once actress, and it’s even better to know that she has similar sentimental feelings for their friendship. Longstanding Hollywood friendships that span decades are so wholesome to hear about in such a fast-paced business, and amongst two veterans, no less. Knowing this BTS friendship is still going strong will make watching Freakier Friday all the more fun and sweet.

Harmon's return for the Disney sequel is greatly appreciated by fans like me, especially after he shocked NCIS audiences when he stepped away from the show four episodes into Season 21 in 2019. The actor still has ties to the new Origins series, which is a return to the long-running series characters’ beginnings. And, if you were a viewer you may have caught his name in the credits as a producer of the show or heard him narrating for the show amid our 2024 TV schedule.

I’m glad to see that we can still catch him in various ways on television and in movies, he’s just a reliable face to see. I’m even happier that he has returned as Curtis’ co-star and the two are still enjoying their reuniting moments as much as audiences will be after all these years.

If you’d like to watch or revisit the 2003 Disney Classic, Freaky Friday, you can with a Disney+ subscription or a Hulu subscription.

Contributing Writer