Tim โCurry Marks 50โข Years of ‘Rocky Horror,’ Discusses Lasting LGBTQ+ Impact andโ Post-Stroke Life
Tim Curry recently reflected on five decades โคof cult fandom surrounding โ”The Rocky Horror โขPicture Show,” sharingโ anecdotes about the film’s creation,โค its enduring appeal, and hisโค own health journey following a 2012 stroke. Theโ actor’s remarks cameโฃ during an evening eventโ celebrating the film’s โ50th anniversary, offering a rare glimpse โคinto his perspective on a โcareer-defining role andโฃ its continuingโ resonance.
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” released in 1975, initially struggled โขto find an audience but blossomed โขinto a phenomenon through midnight โขscreenings and audience โฃparticipation. Its message of self-acceptance and liberation resonated โฃdeeply,โค particularly โwithin theโค LGBTQ+ community, โคa connection Curry acknowledged as โคprofoundly meaningful. He stated the film’sโ central tenet – “don’t โฃdream it, be it” – is “very โฃvital,” adding, “One of the things that the movie does, I think,โ is give anyone permission to behave as badly asโฃ they really want, in โคwhatever โคway and with whom. And โฃI’m โคproud of that.”
Curry recalled โa desire to subtly alter the highly โstylized makeup for his iconic roleโ as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, feeling โit was “too polished,” but refrained, โacknowledging the director’s strong vision. He also noted the film โฃunexpectedly broadened his โฃcareer opportunities, recallingโ a conversation with director Stephen Frears about playing a โฃVictorian bank clerk in “Three Men in a Boat.” frears reportedly told him, “If you โคcan โplay Frank-N-Furter, you can play anything.”
The actor also addressed his health, detailing the circumstances of โthe stroke โhe suffered in 2012 while receiving โฃa massage.Initially โคdismissing his symptoms, โhe was โฃurged by โคthe โmassage therapist to call for an ambulance. Curry remains in a wheelchair and experiences ongoingโ limitations with hisโ left leg,stating,”I still can’t walkโฆand that’s very limiting.So I won’t โbe singing andโ Iโ won’tโ be dancing very soon. I still haveโ real problems with my leftโฃ leg.” Despite these challenges, he concluded theโ evening with his characteristic humor.