Tim Curry’s Comments About Trump From His Final Interview Explored

Tim Curry, the English actor whose flamboyant performances made him a cult icon in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and a horror legend in It, died on August 25, 2026, at his home in Toluca Lake, Los Angeles. He was 80. His longtime manager, Marcia Hurwitz, confirmed that he passed away peacefully. No cause of death was disclosed.

In the wake of his passing, attention has turned to one of Curry’s final major interviews, a lengthy Guardian profile published in October 2025 to promote his memoir, Vagabond. Within that wide-ranging conversation, Curry offered a memorable, if understated, recollection of Donald Trump, whom he encountered decades earlier while filming Home Alone 2: Lost in New York at Trump’s Plaza Hotel in New York City.

Here is what Tim Curry said about Donald Trump, the context behind the story, and a broader look at the final major interview he gave before his death.

What Tim Curry Said About Trump

Curry’s connection to Trump dates back to the early 1990s, when he was cast as the sinister hotel concierge Mr. Hector in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). The film was shot largely inside the real Plaza Hotel, which Trump owned at the time.

By the time filming took place, Trump’s marriage to his first wife, Ivana, had already ended publicly and acrimoniously following his affair with Marla Maples. Despite the divorce, Ivana remained closely involved in managing the hotel during that period.

Curry recalled that when he crossed paths with Trump on set, the businessman was preoccupied with introducing his girlfriend Maples to the film’s director, Chris Columbus. According to Curry, Trump was eager to make the connection, describing Maples as a “brilliant actress” he wanted Columbus to meet. Curry recounted the moment with dry amusement, suggesting he was skeptical of the description at the time.

Separately, Curry recalled an encounter with Ivana Trump, who at the time asked him directly whether he was comfortable in his hotel room and whether he liked its design. Curry later admitted that he did not care for the room’s interior, which had reportedly been designed by Ivana, but he did not share that opinion with her directly at the time.

Curry’s comments about Trump were notably light in tone, more focused on capturing a strange, memorable moment from his career than making any broader political statement. He was not known as a particularly outspoken political figure, and his recollection of Trump read more as an anecdote about Hollywood’s odder intersections with real estate and celebrity than as commentary on Trump’s political career.

Tim Curry has died at the age of 80, TMZ reports. pic.twitter.com/xTBiyG196Z

— Pop Base (@PopBase) August 26, 2026

The Home Alone 2 Cameo Controversy

Curry’s account adds another layer to a long-running dispute about how Trump ended up appearing in Home Alone 2 at all. Trump has said publicly on multiple occasions that director Chris Columbus asked him to appear in the film and that he was reluctant to do so.

Columbus has repeatedly disputed that account. An April 2026 interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Columbus said he was eager to film inside the Plaza Hotel but denied ever asking Trump to appear on camera. In a separate 2020 interview with Business Insider, Columbus went further, saying that Trump had effectively pressured him into including a cameo as a condition of accessing the hotel for filming.

In the finished film, Trump appears briefly, giving young Kevin McCallister, played by Macaulay Culkin, directions to the lobby.

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Tim Curry’s Final Major Interview

The Guardian interview in which Curry discussed Trump was published in October 2025 under the headline exploring his sexuality, his recovery from a stroke, and five decades of stardom. It served as the primary press vehicle for his memoir, Vagabond, which was released the same month and became a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

Curry spoke candidly throughout the interview about facing his own mortality. He acknowledged feeling that the memoir might function as a kind of closing statement on his career, while also expressing genuine surprise at how ambitious he had been across his life, despite never having thought of himself that way.

He discussed how comedy became a coping mechanism following his stroke, which he suffered in July 2012 while receiving a massage. The stroke required brain surgery and left him with paralysis on his left side, confining him to a wheelchair for the remainder of his life. He also dealt with short-term memory loss in the years that followed.

Curry described the years following his stroke, compounded by the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, as giving him an unusual and, at times, overwhelming amount of time for reflection, which ultimately pushed him toward writing the memoir.

On the subject of his personal life, Curry declined to discuss his romantic relationships in detail, saying only that such matters were private. He never married and had no children.

Curry also reflected on his childhood as the son of a Royal Navy chaplain, a background that meant frequently moving between postings. He spoke about the early loss of his father, who died of a stroke when Curry was 11 years old, describing the experience as difficult to process at the time. He also touched on his mother’s mental health struggles later in life, describing a difficult and at times frightening dynamic at home following his father’s death.

Curry reflected on his approach to risk throughout his career, including his choice to take on the boundary-pushing role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a role he acknowledged was risky but one he said he would choose again given the choice.

He also discussed his religious background as a Methodist, saying he valued the tradition’s emphasis on living simply, even though he did not consider himself especially devout. He said he did not believe in a literal heaven or hell and stated that he did not fear death.

Reflecting on how he wanted to be remembered, Curry said he hoped to be seen as someone who handled adversity with resilience.

Curry’s Career and Legacy

Timothy James Curry was born on April 19, 1946, in Grappenhall, Cheshire, England, the son of a Royal Navy chaplain and a school secretary. He studied English and drama at the University of Birmingham before beginning his professional career in the 1968 London production of Hair.

He rose to fame originating the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in Richard O’Brien’s stage musical The Rocky Horror Show, a role he reprised in the 1975 film adaptation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which became one of the most enduring cult classics in cinema history.

Curry went on to build a career defined by memorable, often villainous or eccentric characters, including Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the 1990 television adaptation of Stephen King’s It, Wadsworth the butler in the comedy mystery Clue (1985), Long John Silver in Muppet Treasure Island (1996), which he cited as his favorite film role, and King Arthur in the Monty Python stage musical Spamalot, a role he originated in 2004.

He received multiple Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award nominations across his career and was also nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award. In 2016, he returned to his signature role in a different capacity, appearing as the Criminologist narrator in Fox’s television remake, The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again, which starred Laverne Cox as Frank-N-Furter.

Curry remained politically engaged in select moments throughout his later career. In October 2020, he reunited with original Rocky Horror cast members, including Barry Bostwick, for a virtual table read organized as a fundraiser supporting Democratic candidates ahead of that year’s presidential election, reprising his role as Frank-N-Furter for the event.

Tributes Following His Death

Curry’s death prompted an outpouring of tributes from fellow performers. Actor Rob Schneider wrote that Curry had left the stage, calling him a gifted performer whose expressiveness could communicate more than most actors’ entire physical performances.

Michael McKean, who co-starred with Curry in Clue, recalled a final conversation with him about life and love and laughter, adding that the difficult physical state Curry had endured in his later years had now come to an end.

Additional tributes came from figures including Carol Burnett and Luke Evans, who both credited Curry with inspiring generations of performers to embrace bold and unconventional choices in their own work.

FAQ

What did Tim Curry say about Trump?

In an October 2025 Guardian interview, Curry recalled meeting Donald Trump on the set of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York in the early 1990s, when Trump owned the Plaza Hotel where the film was shot. Curry remembered Trump being eager to introduce his girlfriend at the time, Marla Maples, to director Chris Columbus, describing her as a “brilliant actress.” Curry recounted the moment with light, dry humor rather than political commentary.

When did Tim Curry die?

Tim Curry died on August 25, 2026, at his home in Toluca Lake, Los Angeles, at age 80. His manager confirmed he died peacefully, and no cause of death was disclosed.

Was Tim Curry in Home Alone 2 with Donald Trump?

Yes. Curry played the hotel concierge Mr. Hector in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), which was filmed at the Plaza Hotel, then owned by Trump. Trump appears briefly in the film in a cameo role.

What was Tim Curry’s final interview about?

Curry’s final major interview was published by The Guardian in October 2025 to promote his memoir, Vagabond. The wide-ranging conversation covered his career, his 2012 stroke and recovery, his childhood, his views on risk and fame, and his reflections on mortality.

What health issues did Tim Curry have?

Curry suffered a major stroke in July 2012 that required brain surgery and left him with paralysis on his left side, confining him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He also experienced short-term memory loss following the stroke.

What is Tim Curry best known for?

Curry is best known for playing Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Pennywise in the 1990 adaptation of Stephen King’s It, and Wadsworth the butler in Clue (1985). He also appeared in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and originated the role of King Arthur in the musical Spamalot.

Did Chris Columbus really ask Trump to appear in Home Alone 2?

Accounts differ. Trump has claimed the director begged him to appear. Columbus has repeatedly disputed this, saying in a 2020 interview that Trump effectively required a cameo as a condition of allowing filming at the Plaza Hotel.

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Last Updated on August 27, 2026 by 247 News Around The World