Let’s do the time warp again! The Rocky Horror Picture Show seemed to be a flop when it first debuted on the big screen in 1975. But the adaptation of the popular stage show soon found its audience when it entered the midnight screening circuit. It remains a cult classic to this day, with fans showing up in costume to screenings. We look at what happened to the stars of the cult classic after their adventure in Dr Frank-N-Furter’s mansion. Watch it now on Disney+.
Richard O’Brien
Riff Raff
Richard not only plays Frank-N-Furter’s unsettling butler, but he is also the creator of Rocky Horror. Originally from the UK, his family moved to New Zealand when he was 10. He came up with the concept for the cult classic show during his years of seeing late-night movies at the Embassy Theatre in Hamilton. This was back in the ’60s.
The 83-year-old went on to host game show The Crystal Maze, and is one of the voice stars of the kids’ show Phineas and Ferb, which Barry Bostwick has also appeared on. He now resides in New Zealand, where he is a patron of the Hamilton arts and even has a statue of his famous character in the Garden City in his honour.
Susan Sarandon
Janet Weiss
The Academy Award winner needs no introduction. Susan’s body of work includes countless iconic films, including Thelma & Louise and Dead Man Walking.
While her performance as Janet Weiss is a standout in her career, the 79-year-old admits she had to be convinced to audition for the film. She met Tim when he was starring in the stage show in Los Angeles and happened to be visiting him when they were casting the movie. The filmmakers hadn’t seen anyone who interested them for the role of Janet, so they asked Susan to audition on the spot. She feared singing, but they convinced her to perform a rendition of Happy Birthday.
“I actually went against my better judgement, thinking that maybe I would finally get over this phobia that I had about singing out loud. It was just a fluke that I did get cast.”
Barry Bostwick
Brad Majors
Barry already had a Tony nomination to his name before he took up the role of good guy Brad, but Rocky Horror marked his screen acting debut.
Along with Susan, they were the only members of the cast not in the original stage production. The now-80-year-old beat out Steve Martin for the role.
Barry went on to enjoy success on and off the screen. He won the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical in 1977 for his performance in The Robber Bridegroom and starred alongside Michael J. Fox in the hit series Spin City.
Tim Curry
Dr Frank-N-Furter
Tim originated the role in London and continued with the stage production when it moved to New York and LA. So it was a no-brainer that he would also helm the 1975 film.
His turn as the eccentric scientist earned him fans from all walks of life, including Princess Margaret and Princess Diana. In fact, Diana was such a fan that she made sure to meet Tim when he performed at an event attended by the royals.
Tim, 79, recalls, “Diana said, ‘You were in The Rocky Horror Show.’ And I said, ‘Yes, Ma’am, I was, but I’m sure you haven’t seen it.’ She said, ‘Oh, yes, it quite completed my education.’”
While he has gone on to have a prolific career on stage and screen, Tim is also an in-demand voice actor in children’s cartoons. Most notably, he voices Nigel Thornberry in The Wild Thornberrys.
Eddie
Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf appeared as the ill-fated delivery driver in both the LA stage show and the film. At the time, he was just a musical theatre actor with dreams of making it big.
But only two years later, he became one of the biggest names in music. His debut album Bat Out of Hell remains one of the most successful albums in the history of music. To this day, it is the best-selling album of all time in Australia and has spent more than 500 weeks on the UK charts.
Despite his success, Meat Loaf’s life was marred by hardships and he lost the rights to his seminal album after filing for bankruptcy in 1983. He died in 2022 at the age of 74.
