Jamie Lee Curtis and Emma Mackey walked the carpet at Picturehouse Central for Ella McCay, James L. Brooks’s first film as a director in fifteen years.
James L. Brooks, director of Terms of Endearment, brought Ella McCay to Picturehouse Central in the West End for its London premiere on Monday 24 November 2025. Jamie Lee Curtis and Emma Mackey, who plays the title role, walked the carpet hand in hand.
Curtis is the youngest daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Her first film role, Laurie Strode in John Carpenter’s Halloween in 1978, established her in horror.
Comedy shaped the rest of her career. Trading Places won her a BAFTA, True Lies a Golden Globe, and Everything Everywhere All at Once the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Brooks also wrote and directed Broadcast News and As Good as It Gets. Ella McCay is his first film as a director since How Do You Know in 2010.
Mackey plays an idealistic lieutenant governor who inherits the governorship when her mentor leaves for a cabinet post. Curtis plays her aunt Helen.
London saw the film a fortnight before its Hollywood premiere, and 20th Century Studios released it on 12 December. Jack Lowden, who plays Ella’s husband, and Spike Fearn joined the carpet, and Woody Harrelson, Kumail Nanjiani and Ayo Edebiri complete the cast.