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DUBAI: More than 20 years after their beloved body-swap comedy “Freaky Friday” first hit the cinemas, Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis are back — and this time, they are switching roles with the next generation.

In “Freakier Friday,” the highly anticipated sequel, the duo returns as mother and daughter, but with a new twist: A four-way body swap involving two younger characters, played by Julia Butters and Sophia Hammons.

When asked what it takes to convincingly pull off a body swap, the actors both agree — it is all about the details.

“Mannerisms, the physicality, is a big part of it,” Curtis explained in an interview with Arab News. “You have to mirror each other. It’s not like you’re doing the mirror exercise, but in a way, you are.”

Lohan — a resident of the UAE for the last decade — picked up on subtle changes too, saying: “Harper (Coleman) was slouching more, and she had a slower way of responding to things. She would kind of be more to herself and in her head. Anna would stay up straight more. Those were two of the things I would do.”

But no matter how much prep you do, Curtis says, the real test comes on set. She said: “You can work with the director and vocal coaches and all the rest of it, until that director says action — and the four of you have swapped, and you’re looking in the mirror — you just can’t know if it’s going to work. And I will tell you, when we shot the scene in the mirror, which is why it’s in the end credits, we knew it was working. The crew knew, the director knew, the producers knew, the studio knew — and then we relaxed.”

Both Lohan and Curtis also took on the role of executive producers for the film, a first for Lohan and a return to producing for Curtis. Stepping behind the scenes gave them more creative control and a deeper sense of ownership over the story.

“It feels so nice,” Lohan said. “Especially because women in Hollywood have come such a long way … it feels so encouraging to be executive producing with someone like Jamie and having more of a say in how things go in the movie. Just seeing it from the ground up feels so, what’s the word I’m looking for? Empowering.”

Fans of the original film will be thrilled by the return of Pink Slip, the fictional band fronted by Lohan’s character Anna. For Lohan, slipping back into Anna’s combat boots was as nostalgic as it was exhilarating.

“It was really fun,” she said. “I haven’t really been singing that much, and I haven’t been playing guitar in my daily life as much. So, it was nice to relearn guitar again and brush up on that and then sing and just be there, back with the band. We had so much fun. It was a really, really good time.”

While “Freakier Friday” is packed with physical comedy and music, both actors agree the film’s heart lies in its message of empathy.

“There’s a beautiful message in it,” Lohan said. “Walk a mile in my shoes. Get to know me before you assume things about me. Really know who I am first. And I think that’s a message we should all take with us every day, everywhere in the world — especially now.”

Curtis is in agreement. “It’s basically everything she just said. The first movie was funny and moving; this one is funnier, more moving … and therefore, it’s freakier. But the same themes are there: compassion, understanding, conflict, conflict resolution, physical comedy. It just feels richer, fuller, more mature.”