Tim Curry had a brutally honest take on working with Donald Trump just months before his death at 80.
The legendary actor, famous for iconic roles in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “IT,” died at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday, according to reports. Curry, 80, passed away on the same day and at the same age as country music legend Dolly Parton, compounding the day’s loss for entertainment fans worldwide.
The British star had spoken to The Guardian in October about his experience filming “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” where he played the snooty Plaza Hotel concierge. During production in the early 1990s, Trump actually owned the famous Manhattan hotel and notoriously secured a brief cameo in the blockbuster Christmas movie.
Curry recalled that Trump was desperately trying to use the film set as a networking opportunity for his then-girlfriend Marla Maples. “He was very anxious to find Chris Columbus, the director,” Curry explained in the interview. “He said, ‘I’ve got to get Marla to meet Chris Columbus because she’s a brilliant actress’. And I thought, ‘Yeah, I’m sure’.”
The actor also found himself caught in an awkward situation with Trump’s ex-wife, Ivana Trump, while staying at the hotel during filming. “She knocked on my door and said, ‘Are you happy in your room? Do you like the way it looks?’ – and I loathed it actually,” Curry admitted.
Curry isn’t the only one who has spoken out about the president’s controversial involvement in the iconic Christmas movie. Director Chris Columbus previously labeled Trump’s seven-second appearance as a “curse,” revealing he wishes he could cut the scene entirely. However, the director confessed he genuinely fears extreme retaliation from the Trump administration if he actually removes the Republican from the movie.
“I can’t cut it,” Columbus previously explained. “If I cut it, I’ll probably be sent out of the country,” He added: “I’ll be considered sort of not fit to live in the United States, so I’ll have to go back to Italy or something.”
Trump furiously hit back at Columbus in a fiery Truth Social post last year, claiming the Hollywood director was just using him for publicity. “That cameo helped make the movie a success, but if they felt bullied, or didn’t want me, why did they put me in, and keep me there, for over 30 years?” Trump wrote. He continued: “Because I was, and still am, great for the movie, that’s why! Just another Hollywood guy from the past looking for a quick fix of Trump publicity for himself!”
In the viral moment that defined Curry’s late-career candor, the actor had also cleared up decades of rumors about his time in the clown suit for “IT” and addressed his sexuality in the same interview, where he reflected on fifty years of stardom. When asked by the outlet what he wanted the world to take from his life, Curry replied: “He took it on the chin.”
The actor had suffered a major stroke back in 2012 which left him completely unable to walk, though he continued making appearances for fans in the years that followed.