Jamie Lee Curtis thinks Hollywood is ''a very cruel business.''

The 56-year-old actress, who found fame in 'Halloween' when she was 19, doesn't think it's fair that women are ''punished'' for getting older in the entertainment industry.

She said: ''It's a very cruel business. It's humiliating to see the media frenzy that occurs when somebody gets older and they don't look the way they used to look. I want to make sure I leave on my own terms. I don't want to be punished for the natural evolution of the human being.''

Jamie has never embraced being a celebrity like her late father Tony Curtis.

She said: ''He used to walk into a restaurant and preen and pose. The public attention was very important; I don't need it. I'm recognisable, sure. But I have a quiet life.''

And the actress claims she thought her career was winding down when Ryan Murphy offered her a starring role in 'Scream Queens'.

She added: ''I'm comfortable stepping away from Hollywood when I need too. I was just hanging out with my posse of menopause mamas. He offered me the role, and it sounded crazy and amazing. I left our meeting going, 'Wow.' ''

But she almost turned down the opportunity to reignite her acting career because the series is shot in New Orleans and she was worried about spending too much time away from husband Christopher Guest and her children, Tom, 19, and Annie, 28, in Los Angeles.

She said: ''I'm the mom. I texted Ryan and said, 'Mom can't go away for a year.

''I love my man, my posse of women and my kids. It's a beautiful life.''

But Ryan agreed to adapt to her schedule and she now works ''a very condensed'' four days at a time.

Jamie's co-star Emma Roberts is relieved she finally accepted the offer.

She told PEOPLE magazine: ''The show wouldn't work without Jamie. She's what inspired Murphy to do the show in the first place.''