The enigma of Tim Curry

A stroke 13 years ago left Tim Curry partially paralyzed, but that hasn't diminished his memorable laugh or the mystique that surrounds him. Over 50 years on screen, he has played many types – campy, comedic, menacingly sinister – but his most enigmatic role remains that of Tim Curry.

And being a mystery is exactly what he wants. “I think it's important,” he said. “I encourage it.”

Although Curry has released a new memoir, “Tramp” (to be published Tuesday in Grand Central), he keeps some secrets to himself. “I think one of the key things is not to encourage identity, and I tried to take care of that,” he said. “I defended it and continue to defend it.”

Curry was born into a military family in Hong Kong and grew up moving from place to place. As a child, he idolized his father, a chaplain in the British Royal Navy. The last time he saw his father was when he was 10 years old, when he had a stroke: “And as they were about to take him into the ambulance, he said, 'Take care of your mother.'

After his father's death, there was no one to soften the influence of his mother, who was kind one minute and cruel the next. “I now think she probably had bipolar disorder because she could snap at any moment,” Curry said.

Acting gave him the opportunity to escape his mother's whims – and gain access to a variety of lives. He said that what excited him about acting was “the freedom to be someone else, and I think I (like everyone else) was probably attracted to the idea of ​​fame, although I began to rather despise it.”

His first fame came with his first paid performance in the 1969 London production of Hair. It was a big deal, but nothing compared to what followed: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, first on stage, then in film. He joked that he got the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter because of his legs. It was a transformative performance for both Curry and the audience.

Curry says what made the role unique was his strength: “He gave a lot of teenagers the opportunity to be different, and I'm really glad he actually had that strength.”

Rocky Horror brought Curry fame. This did not earn him any praise or even respect from his mother. She took her son's success well, but “she didn't think much of it,” Curry said. “She was afraid of it.”

Why? “Well, later she told me, 'I thought your head was going to grow too big.' She would prefer it if I acted quietly!

He laughed: “Never. I don't care about radar!

I asked, “When is Frank going to do his particularly disgusting thing on The Rocky Horror Picture Show?” [killing Eddie with an axe]Perhaps some of this was addressed to your mother?

“It’s not directed at her, it’s just channeling,” Curry responded.

“Rocky Horror” allowed Curry to play some memorable screen villains – under a mountain of prosthetics in “Legend” with Tom Cruise; as Pennywise in Stephen King's thriller It; and as Carol Burnett's wily and duplicitous brother in Annie. “I loved her to pieces,” Curry said of Burnett.

And don't forget about the hotel concierge in Home Alone 2 and the manipulative butler in Clue.

But then came 2012 and the moment that changed Tim Curry's life. “It was so strange,” he said. “I actually had a massage and the guy who was giving me the massage said, ‘I’m worried about you. I think we should call a doctor.” I felt good. I had no symptoms that I was aware of. It didn't hurt me.”

But he was taken to the hospital, where he learned that he had suffered a stroke. “I immediately thought of my father. So I was scared,” he said.

He then underwent invasive brain surgery and underwent rehabilitation to learn to speak again. “It was very strange,” he said. “I hated not being able to talk.”

He also has paralysis on his left side. “My face kind of went sideways,” he said.

I asked, “After reading the book and talking to the people who care about you, you didn't notice much – I'm sure there was a little self-pity, but it doesn't seem like there was a lot of it?”

“I don’t think so,” Curry said. “I hope not, because I don’t particularly admire self-pity. I think this is another legacy from my mother. For this I am grateful: Why are you so important that we have to feel sorry for you?“

Now 79 years old, he has reached an age he never thought he would reach back in 2012. Today he is not even remotely afraid of death – although what exactly he means remains a mystery.

“I'm not afraid of death,” he said. “I try to avoid it, as I think we all do! But I suspect that in the end I will welcome it.”

And what does this mean? “Well, I think it will be very nice to say goodbye – and I want to earn it!” he laughed.

WEB EXTRAS: Extended Interview – Tim Curry (Video)

READ REST: “Tramp: A Memoir” by Tim Curry

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The story was produced by Gabriel Falcon. Editor: Lauren Barnello.