It’s almost impossible to imagine The Rocky Horror Picture Show without Tim Curry strutting around as the undefinable Dr. Frank-N-Furter, but that eventuality nearly came to pᴀss courtesy of an iconic singer. 50 years on, The Rocky Horror Picture Show still thrills audiences across the world with every viewing, and while the likes of Susan Sarandon and Richard O’Brien are brilliant, one simply cannot look past Curry’s one-of-a-kind performance.

With its origins in musical theater, it comes as no surprise that The Rocky Horror Picture Show has attracted famed musicians over the years. Most notably, Meat Loaf portrayed Eddie both on Broadway and in the movie adaptation, but other casts have included famed recording artists such as Joan Jett and Nicole Scherzinger. Curiously, a name far bigger than Scherzinger, Jett, or indeed, Loaf came very close to taking Tim Curry’s role as Frank-N-Furter.

Mick Jagger Was Almost Frank-N-Furter In The Rocky Horror Picture Show

According to Tim Curry himself, there was significant interest in Mick Jagger playing Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show‘s 1975 movie adaptation – interest that came from both the studio and the Rolling Stones frontman. Curry explains (via LA Times):

“When the movie was a definite thing, there were several big stars who wanted to play the part. Mick Jagger wanted to play it and he would’ve done a great job if you saw Performance. But [Jim Sharman, director] said he wanted me to do it. I don’t think the studio was happy that he turned down Mick.”

Curry had already embodied the Frank-N-Furter role in the original London production, so opting for him over Jagger was vital for maintaining authenticity. Richard O’Brien, Little Nell, and Patricia Quinn also transitioned from stage to screen, so the movie was clearly putting great effort into recapturing the magic, but by retaining Tim Curry specifically, The Rocky Horror Show took a huge step to the ri-igh-igh-igh-ight toward keeping the original spirit intact.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show Wouldn’t Be So Loved Today With Mick Jagger As Frank-N-Furter

While Tim Curry humbly claims Mick Jagger “would’ve done a great job,” he does himself a disservice. Plenty of actors have stepped into Curry’s shoes since 1975, from David Arquette to Jason Donavan. Some have been good, some have even been great, but none have been phenomenal. All subsequent Frank-N-Furters have been striving just to come close to the heights Curry hit.

There is little doubt that Mick Jagger would have delivered Sєxual energy, raw charisma, and fizzing eccentricity, but he inevitably would have been emulating his predecessor. More importantly, it would have been hard to look at Jagger’s Frank-N-Furter and not just see… the singer of the Rolling Stones. Tim Curry, on the other hand, inhabited the part so completely, he transported even the most conservative viewer to a distant world of B-movies and PVC.

1975’s movie gave The Rocky Horror Picture Show the platform to become a cultural landmark, ensuring “The Time Warp” would still be a thing 50 years down the line. If the movie had gone with Mick Jagger’s cover version of Frank-N-Furter rather than the undiluted, maximum power of the real deal in Tim Curry, it’s hard to imagine The Rocky Horror Picture Show enjoying the same longevity and success.

Sources: LA Times