Metro Weekly

Laverne Cox debuts as Dr. Frank-N-Furter for “Rocky Horror Picture Show” remake

Laverne Cox and Ben Vareen, Image Credit: Steve Wilkie/Fox
Laverne Cox and Ben Vareen, Image Credit: Steve Wilkie/Fox

“I get tweets from people, ‘Please don’t fuck up Rocky Horror Picture Show!'”

Laverne Cox, speaking with Entertainment Weekly, as the cast of Fox’s upcoming remake of Rocky Horror Picture Show unveiled their characters’ looks. “I showed my brother pictures of me in character and he was like, ‘You were preparing your whole life for this,'” Cox added.

Fox’s remake has drawn a mixed reaction from fans of the camp classic, but Cox is determined to do justice to a role made iconic by Tim Curry in the 1975 film (Curry returns for the remake, in the role of the narrator).

“We were on set and a reporter saw me and said I looked like the love child of Grace Jones and David Bowie. I said ‘That’s exactly right,’” Cox said. “I think we mix up the look more than they did in the original. It’s inspired by the original but it’s really our own take. It’s way more elaborate and couture. [Director] Kenny Ortega had this vision that Frank was at this old theater and found these old burlesque costumes and is, like, using them and wearing them now but has altered them a bit.”

Not that too much is changing. “It’s the same score and the same story and the same characters and the same good camp and fun,” said Ortega.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show will air this fall on FOX.

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