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The first time I watched “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” it was in my parents’ basement at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I was doing what most of us did during lockdown: finally watching a bunch of classic movies to keep the days from blending into each other. It wasn’t my first introduction to the film – I can thank “Glee” for that – but I remember being entranced by the alluring, gender-bent, sexual deviant that was Tim Curry’s Frank-N-Furter.In the 1975 cult-classic, Frank is a Frankenstein-esque mad scientist creating a monster, but it's an Adonis-level hunk for his own pleasure. While the egomaniacal, sexually charged character's experiment wreaks havoc amongst the inhabitants of his castle, an unsuspecting couple finds their way into his trap and conduct experiments of their own.Curry, who died Aug. 26, managed to give this intimidating, performative presence a raw, emotional depth that became the blueprint for everyone who stepped into the fishnets and high heels after him, not only in stage versions but in audience-participation screenings at movie theaters. And that mostly comes from the fact that he understood this misunderstood creature from a different planet.Curry's performance has only grown in significance in these politically fraught times, as politicians continue to sow division between those who fit within a certain mold and those who don’t. His character's line “Don’t dream it. Be it” remains a battle cry not only for the LGBTQ+ community but for anyone who feels marginalized. Both Curry and Dr. Frank-N-Furter taught generations of queer people to defy societal expectations and choose their own paths in life.As Frank descends in a Paternoster elevator, I remember feeling a chill run down my spine when he turns around and starts singing the opening lyrics to “Sweet Transvestite.” He was skilled at using every muscle in his face to convey a range of emotions. You can clearly hear the Cheshire accent, oozing confidence and swagger, as he struts past his Transylvanians in a silky black vampire cape, singing about being an alien from another planet — a feeling many people in the LGBTQ+ community can relate to. But he stood tall in his self-assuredness and sexuality.When he sings the words “I’m just a sweet transvestite,” he launches the cape backward from his shoulders to reveal his legendary sequined lingerie ensemble, showing off for his minions and the unsuspecting couple Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon). This is how I’m going to remember the legendary actor.But the first song that came to my mind after the news was announced was "I'm Going Home," a sweeping rock ballad that reveals the softer side of this often misjudged character. Frank-N-Furter has one last opportunity to sing his heart out to the audience, and proclaims that he sees "blue skies through the tears" as he realizes he has to go back to his home planet. But to make it more devastating, he's not going home because his supposedly trustworthy henchmen, Riff Raff and Magenta, then shoot him and his creation, Rocky, with a laser gun.It's helps show the thesis of the movie, which Frank-N-Furter articulates close to the end of it: "It’s not easy having a good time. Even smiling makes my face ache." It's a line that feels like a knife to the heart, especially as Curry suffered from health issues and struggled with mobility after a 2012 stroke.In his roles, he looked like he was having a good time playing everything from a hotel concierge (in "Home Alone 2") to a child-eating clown (in the 1990 miniseries "It). But for me, I'll remember the man who saw an alien, Frank-N-Furter, as a whole individual with depth to be explored.
