Let’s do the Time Warp once more — 50 years later.
The Rocky Horror Image Present marks its milestone birthday this yr, and in celebration the Academy Museum hosted a particular screening of the new 4K remaster on Friday night time, accompanied by a dialog with star Tim Curry. Additionally within the crowd on the occasion had been Barry Bostwick (who performed Brad Majors), Patricia Quinn (Magenta), Nell Campbell (Columbia) and producer Lou Adler, who all later joined Curry for images.
Curry was met by an enormous standing ovation as he took the stage — in entrance of a sold-out, costumed crowd, many holding onto prop kits that had been bought within the foyer — joking, “I’m so excited by this and really honored by the Academy to do that presentation of our film, which has dragged on for 50 years.”
He mirrored on originating the position of Dr. Frank-N-Furter within the theater earlier than making his movie debut in Rocky Horror, teasing that Jim Sharman’s “directing method was you weren’t allowed to bore him, and if he wasn’t bored, it stayed in.”
Curry famous that due to the character’s identify, he initially “performed him with a German accent, which evidently bored Jim;” he later discovered the proper accent on a bus in London, whereas listening to a chat between two upper-class ladies. “They wished to sound just like the queen and that appeared applicable for Frank, actually, who clearly thought he was the queen,” he added.
He additionally spoke about doing his personal make-up when the present was on stage — “It was like a back-street hooker” — however when it got here to the film, skilled make-up artist Pierre La Roche was introduced in. Curry admitted, “I used to be horrified, truly, by his first try as a result of I believed I used to be prepared for the runway; it was simply too polished for me. I wished to simply sort of smudge all of it, however I didn’t dare, as a result of he was a really formidable character.”
Patricia Quinn, Barry Bostwick, Nell Campbell, Tim Curry and The Shadow Solid.
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Pictures
Trying again on 50 years of cult fandom, Curry mentioned the film being embraced significantly by the LGBTQ viewers “means loads as a result of I feel the message of the movie — don’t dream it, be it — is essential. One of many issues that the film does, I feel, is give anybody permission to behave as badly as they actually need, in no matter manner and with whom. And I’m pleased with that.”
He added that the movie “actually singled me out from the pack for a second” when it got here to his post-Rocky Horror profession, however “I don’t assume it helped casting in any respect. I used to be actually fairly apprehensive that it was going to be tough, however it wasn’t.” The actor recalled when director Stephen Frears reached out to him about Three Males in a Boat,” and I mentioned, ‘What makes you assume that I can play a Victorian financial institution clerk?’ and he mentioned, ‘In case you can play Frank-N-Furter, you possibly can play something.’”
Curry closed out the night by concerning his well being, following a 2012 stroke that has left him in a wheelchair.
“I used to be having a therapeutic massage on the time and I didn’t even truly discover something, however the man who was doing the therapeutic massage mentioned, ‘I’m apprehensive about you, I wish to name an ambulance.’ And he did, and I mentioned, ‘That’s so foolish,’” Curry mentioned. “I nonetheless can’t stroll, which is why I’m on this foolish chair, and that’s very limiting. So I received’t be singing and I received’t be dancing very quickly. I nonetheless have actual issues with my left leg.” Along with his signature humor, he then set free a yawn and declared, “It’s awfully late, isn’t it? Why don’t we present the pic?”
