Entertainment

Tim Curry's 'Rocky Horror' Remake Cameo Is Perfect

by Caroline Gerdes

Can we just take a minute to fully process the greatness of the people to have graced our screens as Dr. Frank-N-Furter? First, let’s discuss Tim Curry, the man that, whether you realize it or not, shaped most of your coming of age. I never played Clue the same way again after his portrayal of Wadsworth in the cult classic. He taught me valuable lessons about friendship, greed, and stranger danger in Muppet Treasure Island. He scarred the s*** out of me in It. And, he taught me not to just dream it, but to be it in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Now, it seems, the torch has been passed to a deserving candidate. Laverne Cox played Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the FOX remake, but Tim Curry had a cameo in The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again.

The movie wouldn’t have felt complete without a blessing or an appearance by Curry, who is synonymous with the original film — and the remake had both. The 1975 Dr. Frank-N-Furter actor played The Criminologist, An Expert in the 2016 FOX version. And, according to Vanity Fair, he was quick to join the project. Curry told the magazine: "I actually offered myself as Dr. Scott, because I was already in a wheelchair [Curry suffered a stroke in 2013]. They thought the Narrator was a better fit, and I enjoyed it a lot."

But, how did Curry feel about the recasting of his beloved character? The remake's director Kenny Ortega divulged in the same Vanity Fair piece that Curry was the first to give his seal of approval on the casting of Laverne Cox. Ortega said, “the first voice that came up was, 'Brava,' from Tim Curry."

Curry’s appearance in the Fox TV movie was the perfect homage to the iconic 1975 film that has been beloved for generations. The Rocky Horror Picture Show has been providing asylum and community to those who feel different for more than 40 years. The movie never really left theaters as the boisterous screenings with crowd participation have a cult following, spanning decades. Tim Curry’s Dr. Frank-N-Furter is an outsider, sexy, terrifying, and vulnerable. And, simply, something about the doctor has just resonated with people.

Cox's casting brought The Rocky Horror Picture Show into the 21st Century. But, longtime fans weren't ready to part with Curry completely. And, fortunately, the FOX version ensured that fans didn't have to.

Image: Steve Wilkie/FOX; Giphy (2)