Rocky Horror star Tim Curry touches on his sexuality: ‘It was the 70s’

Tim Curry, the star of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, has touched on his sexuality in a new interview looking back at his life and career.

The 79-year-old actor, known also for his roles in It and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, has discussed all this in his new memoir, Vagabond.

In an interview with The Guardian about the book, Curry spoke about working with Richard O’Brien on Rocky Horror. The film has maintained cult classic status since the film’s release in 1975. It debuted onstage two years prior.

In the show and film, Curry played Dr Frank-N-Furter, an androgynous scientist, who creates Rocky, an attractive and muscular man designed to fulfil Frank-N-Furter’s sexual desires.

“I did think it was risky and indeed it was,” Curry said when asked about taking on the role half a century ago. “But I like risky. I would choose risky over anything. That’s the best way to be,” the actor added.

He told The Guardian the role was “liberating.” He elaborated: “Enormously, because basically he can fuck anybody. That’s quite a charge. It’s important to make that believable.”

When probed Curry as to whether he actor had embodied that approach to sex in his own life, he said: “Well, I wasn’t lonely! It wasn’t too difficult to get laid. But it was the 70s, which is crucial to what it is, I think.”

But he did reveal that Rocky Horror taught him he had the courage to take on such a role. “That was good,” he shared adding, “I resolved to apply it to my life.”

Reflecting on the show’s opening night in 1973 when it played at London’s Royal Court theatre Curry said: “It was an extraordinary thing really, because I really liked that it was almost underground. It was pretty alternative. And I got to work with some very clever people.”

The actor also recently spoke to The New Yorker who asked about the actor’s sexuality. “Well, I think that my romantic life is none of anybody’s business, and I say so rather thoroughly in the book,” he replied. “There’s a lot of profanity in the book, which I somewhat regret, because I have too much respect for the language to give it over completely to Anglo-Saxon.”

Vagabond is out now.

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