Tim Curry’s Most Cherished Role Isn’t What You’d Expect
Tim Curry, famed for The Rocky Horror Picture Show, shares which film role he holds dearest and why working with the Muppets left a lasting impression.
Tim Curry has built a reputation for playing villains with a cheeky edge, always managing to slip in a bit of tongue-in-cheek humour. For many, the first time watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show was a real eye-opener—whether it made you feel like you’d finally found your crowd or just left you gobsmacked, it’s a film that sticks with you. Picture anyone else stepping into Dr Frank-N-Furter’s shoes: a bloke strutting in with a cape, shiny collar, black sequinned undies, and a face full of makeup, belting out ‘Sweet Transvestite’. Back in 1975, the big names were Harrison Ford, Robert De Niro, and Jack Nicholson. Imagine any of them giving it a crack. Sure, it’d be a laugh, but let’s be honest, none of them had the guts or flair to pull it off. There was only ever one person for the job, and that role made Curry a household name.
Not Your Typical Leading Man
Curry was never really cut out for the standard leading man gig—he’s just too versatile to be boxed in. Over the years, he’s won over punters with scene-stealing turns in everything from Annie and Home Alone 2 to The Hunt for Red October and Clue. But out of all these, he’s got a surprising soft spot for one in particular.
A Fondness for Felt and Fur
In a 2025 chat, Curry admitted he’s got a real affection for the Muppets.
“I would love to work with the Muppets again,”
he said, looking back on his time filming Muppet Treasure Island in 1996. What really stuck with him was how the puppeteers never broke character as long as the Muppets were on their hands.
“I love that,”
he added, mentioning that Miss Piggy was his favourite out of the lot.
Long John Silver and Lasting Memories
That loose, musical take on Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island saw Curry as Long John Silver—a pirate with a velvet voice and a dodgy agenda. As always, he managed to be both a bit menacing and oddly charming, a mix that seems to run through all his work. It’s a bit of a shame he hasn’t been back with the Muppets since the ‘90s. The franchise has had everyone from Usher to Lady Gaga and Michael Caine, but Curry’s the sort who could vanish into a new character so well, you’d forget he’d ever been there before. Maybe it’s time he got a go at voicing one of the Muppets himself.