Rebecca Gayheart, Daughter Billie Twin in Purple to Honor Jawbreaker's 'Iconic Style' for 25th Anniversary (Exclusive)

Rebecca Gayheart is "feeling old AF" as Jawbreaker turns 25 this year — but she was more than excited to celebrate the film's milestone year on July 12 with a room full of people.

For the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures screening in Los Angeles, Gayheart wanted to honor her character, Julie, by wearing something that mixed the past and present.

"We wanted to pay homage to the iconic style of Jawbreaker while giving it a modern twist," she tells PEOPLE exclusively. "The clothes in the movie were known for their fabulousness and how they were pulled from various eras, creating a unique and timeless look."

Gayheart, 52, landed on an all-purple Alex Perry suit sourced by CLOTHED LA, which she paired with Anita Ko jewels, all styled by Sarah Nearis. Perhaps Gayheart's best accessory to her look, though, was her 14-year-old daughter Billie, who wore a coordinating light purple dress by House of CB.

The purple was wholly intentional, Gayheart says, as a nod to one of Julie's specific looks in the film.

"My character, Julie, wore a purple latex skirt in the movie, which was a standout piece that left a lasting impression!" she says of the skirt, which Julie paired with a patterned tank in the movie. "I wanted to honor that memorable look, which is why Billie and I decided to wear purple head to toe!"

Gayheart says that while searching for their looks for the screening, she and Billie had a "wonderful" time shopping together and taking in all their mother-daughter time. "We both definitely had opinions on what each other should wear!" she admits.

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Gayheart departed from Julie's glam for the July 12 event, though, in one very specific area: her hair. While Julie's hair is straight, Gayheart says she — and Billie — wanted to show off their natural curls for the event, which she says they've been "working on embracing" lately. "Curls and twirls courtesy of the phenomenal Andie J," she gushes.

The actress and her daughter indulged in their "special rituals" in the lead-up to the screening, she says, which included snuggling with their cats, listening to music and making sure they stocked up on their vitamins before their late night.

"The only thing that coul -

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d make tonight better would be having Billie’s little sister, Georgia, with us," Gayheart says. "She’s returning home from sleepaway camp tomorrow and we miss her greatly!" 

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Makeup artist Brett Freedman prepped both the actress and her daughter's skin for the big event — from the night before all the way to the show — focusing on hydration and brightening.

The night before, Freedman prepped Gayheart's skin with Farmhouse Fresh Pudding Apeel Tapioca Mask for a "little red carpet pre-game," he says. For Billie, he used the Farmhouse Fresh Matcha Purity Calm and Clear Purification Mask to put her teen skin in "healing mode."

On the day, he cleansed and hydrated their skin to make sure they were both prepped and ready before going in with makeup. For their eyes — on both of them! — he put some extra oomph into their crows' feet so the photos would look snatched and their eyes would look bright.

For lips, Freedman kept it simple and opted for Farmhouse Fresh balm for both. "This is where the gals self-express with their fave flavors," he says. "The hydration is just right: not too greasy, not too waxy. The sheer tint is great under lip color — as your fave gloss or lipstick wears, it’s nice to have a tint on the lip."

Both of them were dusting with some highlight and glow — on their faces and bodies, of course — and they were set to go for the night. "We were so fortunate to have our fabulous and talented makeup artist Brett Freedman glam us up!" Gayheart says.

At the event, Gayheart was joined by her co-stars Judy Greer and Julie Benz, who played Fern and Marcie in the 1999 movie. In the teen comedy film, which also starred Rose McGowan, Carol Kane and Tatyana Ali, a group of popular girls accidentally kill the prom queen with a jawbreaker when a kidnapping prank goes horribly wrong.

Gayheart calls the movie "timeless and influential" and while she says she can't believe it's already been 25 years since it was released, she's loving that there's still so much love for the story.

"It’s incredibly exciting that my daughters get to experience Jawbreaker and this legendary celebration," she says. "It’s a reminder of how timeless and influential the movie has been across generations and I’m thrilled to share this connection with them."

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