Why Tim Curry got the role
Talking about The Rocky Horror Picture Show without mentioning Tim Curry? Impossible! This was actually Tim Curry’s theatrical movie debut and he absolutely owned the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite alien scientist who steals the spotlight from the very first scene.
The reason curry took the film role was that he had already played the same character in the 1973 stage production written by Richard O’Brien.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show racked up an incredible 2,960 performances in London, with Tim Curry’s electrifying performance becoming the heartbeat of the entire production — so when it came time to cast the film version, bringing him along was a no-brainer.
A muscleman who could sing
How Curry landed the role in the first place is actually a pretty funny story — and it says a lot about the confidence he had as a young, up-and-coming actor.
”I’d heard about the play because I lived on Paddington Street, off Baker Street, and there was an old gym a few doors away. I saw Richard O’Brien in the street, and he said he’d just been to the gym to see if he could find a muscleman who could sing. I said, “Why do you need him to sing?” [laughs] And he told me that his musical was going to be done, and I should talk to Jim Sharman. He gave me the script, and I thought, “Boy, if this works, it’s going to be a smash,” Curry said.
Curry gained weight after the movie – to hide
The Rocky Horror Picture Show turned Curry into a household name and earned him a devoted cult following. However, for many years, Curry was hesitant to discuss the movie due to some difficult experiences with overly enthusiastic fans.
He told VH1 that he even gained weight and to look “chubby and plain”. That was an attempt to distance himself from the role of Frank. Nowadays, he’s more comfortable talking about the film and even considers it a “rite of passage” for teenagers.
In 2015, Curry said that he movie is ”a guaranteed weekend party to which you can go with or without a date and probably find one if you don’t have one, and it’s also a chance for people to try on a few roles for size, you know? Figure out, help them maybe figure out their own sexuality.”
No picnic
Filming The Rocky Horror Picture Show was no walk in the park for anyone involved. Unlike the wild after-hours vibe of the stage show, the movie set was all business. With just five weeks to shoot, the cast and crew had to be at the studio bright and early each day — especially Tim Curry, whose elaborate makeup took four hours to apply. Eventually, Curry learned to do it himself just to save time.
How Meat Loaf nailed a song
One fun moment that always gets me when rewatching The Rocky Horror Picture Show is spotting none other than Meat Loaf as Eddie. There are a bunch of great behind-the-scenes stories involving him, but one of my absolute favorites?
Richard O’Brien was worried Meat Loaf might struggle with the fast-paced song “Hot Patootie – Bless My Soul.” So, he handed him the sheet music and said, “It’s okay to flub a few lines. No one in the London cast has ever sung the whole thing correctly anyway.” Meat Loaf looked it over and casually replied, “What’s the problem?” — then nailed the entire song perfectly on the first try.
Dramatic entrance wasn’t planned
One of the film’s most memorable moments is when Dr. Everett V. Scott bursts onto the scene by crashing straight through a wall. Surprisingly, that dramatic entrance wasn’t originally planned — it happened because the set crew forgot to include an extra door in the lab.
The royal confession shocked Curry
Fans of The Rocky Horror Picture Show span the globe — but one of the most unexpected and famous admirers was none other than Princess Diana. While Tim Curry was performing in Austria, he got word that the Princess wanted to meet him. When they were finally introduced, Diana flashed what Curry described as a “wicked smile” and told him that Rocky Horror had “quite completed my education.”
Curry shared the story during an interview on Fresh Air with Terry Gross, recalling how he met both King Charles III and Princess Diana after a performance of Love for Love. He remembered being placed at the end of the receiving line. While Prince Charles gave a polite but vague acknowledgment—saying he’d seen Curry “on television” — Diana’s reaction was unforgettable. Her candid comment about the cult film’s effect on her only reinforced how deeply the movie had resonated—even with royalty.
