Tim Curry Was the Greatest Actor I’ve Ever Worked With, and His Role in Rocky Horror Helped Me Realize I Was Pansexual – Guest Post by Gonzo
Hello out there, folks, it’s me, your friendly neighborhood, uh, whatever the hell I am, Gonzo. It’s been one heck of a week, hasn’t it, folks? First we lost Dolly Parton, and now Tim Curry. Both of these people were icons. Both of these people were immeasurably talented performers whom I am extremely privileged to have worked with on “The Muppet Show” and in the film “Muppet Treasure Island,” respectively. But for me personally, Tim’s passing strikes a chord, and I am compelled to share a few words.
You may find this hard to believe, given that I’m a big Hollywood star now, but I was a fairly awkward youth, especially when it came to sex. Can you blame me? It was the ‘70s, after all, and I didn’t even know what species I was supposed to be! I felt this pressure to conform, to pick a lane, to fit into one box or the other, so to speak. Then, one fateful night, I went to a midnight showing of ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ on the Hollywood strip, and my life changed forever.
That film opened my eyes even wider than they usually are, which is fairly wide even by muppet standards. Somewhere in that dizzyingly kaleidoscopic display of camp, pageantry, and song, I finally gleaned the realization that sexuality was not a rigid, binary thing; it was a spectrum. It gave me a spark that soon grew into a flame of self-acceptance.
If it weren’t for that film, I would not be who I am today: an ambiguous blue fuzzy thing in a long-term relationship with a beautiful chicken.
Imagine my excitement when I got to thank Tim Curry personally when he was cast as the lead in ‘Muppet Treasure Island.’ Tim was, of course, a major privacy advocate, and your guess as to where he fell on the spectrum is as good as mine, but he was a very warm and engaging person who met my gushing platitudes with sincere gratitude. I tried to play it cool, but as soon as he walked away, I opened my mouth all big and waved my arms around all crazy. You know, that thing we muppetts do when we’re excited.
And talk about professional! I thought Michael Caine was the real deal when he played Scrooge in ‘A Muppet Christmas Carol,’ but I’m telling you, when the camera was rolling, Tim Curry BECAME Long John Silver. He could honest-to-God be terrifying, but once the director yelled “cut!” he was right back to warm, friendly Tim. He was indeed one of the finest actors of our time, by far the best I’ve worked with personally, and keep in mind I’ve worked with Orson Welles. His work deserves to be treasured and studied for years to come.
Rest in peace, Tim. Wherever you are, I hope you’re as proud of the legacy you left behind as you should be. Or, to quote the love of my life Camilla, “Bawk.”
The post Tim Curry Was the Greatest Actor I’ve Ever Worked With, and His Role in Rocky Horror Helped Me Realize I Was Pansexual – Guest Post by Gonzo appeared first on HARDTIMES.
