Tim Curry is reflecting on The Rocky Horror Picture Show amid the film’s 50th anniversary.
Curry, 79, discussed the 1975 cult classic movie and his role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, which he originated in Rocky Horror’s 1973 stage production, during a rare appearance on CBS Sunday Morning on Sunday, September 7.
“He’s a tough guy,” Curry, who lives with paralysis caused by a stroke in 2012, said of his character. “And he expects the world to revolve around him.”
Curry added, “I’ve had people who left [the film] thinking they would say the stuff they had always wanted to say and did.”
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The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a musical comedy horror film that follows young engaged couple Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon) as their car gets a flat tire near a castle in the middle of a storm. They seek help from the castle’s inhabitants, including its alien “transvestite” owner, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, and his creation, Rocky (Peter Hinwood).
When asked if the movie gave fans permission to be who they really are, Curry said, “I think so.” However, it wasn’t initially well-received.
“[The film] died a death. It was a failure. And I was crushed … I thought that it might well be [the end of my movie career]. But I was tougher than that,” he continued.
Tim Curry Everett Collection
Reflecting on Rocky Horror’s eventual success, Curry added, “For your first movie to run for 50 years is crazy.”
After his breakout film role in Rocky Horror, Curry went on to star in other famous films like 1982’s Annie, 1985’s Clue and 1996’s Muppet Treasure Island. He also voiced Nigel Thornberry in The Wild Thornberrys (1998–2004) and Palpatine in Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2012–2014).
Curry has used a wheelchair since his stroke, so his career has shifted to mostly voice acting. However, he appeared in his first feature film role in 14 years in 2024’s Stream.
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Curry has also continued to perform as a singer and make appearances at fan conventions. He participated in the documentary Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror, in which he spoke about the Rocky Horror stage production.
“It was a really good time. It was very creative and I remember reaching a crisis fairly early on because I would snap out an order to somebody and they wouldn’t quite jump to it,” Curry said in the doc, which premiered at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival in March and will be released to the public on September 26. “And I stopped and sort of had a rather small tantrum and said, ‘Look I can’t be powerful if you don’t accept the power and at least cringe a little.’ So that took care of that pretty quickly.”
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