Fans of the cult classic “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” are buzzing as the film marks its 50th anniversary. Released back in 1975, this wild horror musical has kept audiences dancing and shouting for decades.
Barry Bostwick, now 80, starred as the all-American Brad Majors, while Susan Sarandon, 78, brought Janet Weiss to life as his wide-eyed girlfriend. In a new documentary called “Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror,” the co-stars spill the beans on how they landed their iconic roles.
Bostwick first heard about the project from casting director Joel Thurm. “He asked if I’d do a stage version at the Roxy in L.A.,” Bostwick recalled. “I wasn’t keen on theater then, but I told him, ‘If it turns into a movie, let me know.'” Thurm saw Bostwick as the perfect fit for Brad. “You need a great singer, a good-looking guy who’s super all-American,” Thurm said. “Barry nailed it.”
Sarandon and Bostwick were already pals when casting ramped up. Her agents tried to steer her away from auditioning, but Thurm had a clever workaround. “I told Barry, ‘Just bring Susan along,'” Thurm shared. Sarandon showed up to say hi and ended up reading for Janet on the spot. “It felt like a satire of every innocent character I’d played—sweet on the outside, but ready to break free,” she explained. Bostwick joked that the focus was really on her the whole time.
The film kicked off as a 1973 stage musical in London at the Royal Court Theatre. Richard O’Brien wrote it and played Riff Raff, with Tim Curry stealing scenes as the mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter. Directed by Jim Sharman, the story follows sweethearts Brad and Janet, whose car gets a flat tire in a storm. They stumble into Frank-N-Furter’s creepy mansion just as he revives his latest creation, the hunky Rocky.
Several stage actors reprised their roles in the movie, including Patricia Quinn as Magenta, Nell Campbell as Columbia, and Christopher Malcolm as another Brad. “We were like strangers in a strange land, which fit the story perfectly,” Bostwick said. O’Brien added that having the American stars step into their quirky world made rehearsals a blast. “They were the green virgins arriving fresh—it was spot on.”
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” became one of the top-selling movie musicals ever, raking in $115 million on a modest $1 million budget. It didn’t follow the usual Hollywood path. Originally slated for a Halloween debut in New York, the studio switched gears. Fox executive Tim Deegan suggested midnight screenings, a fresh twist for a major studio musical.
The film finally hit theaters on April Fool’s Day in 1976 at the Waverly in New York. Critics noted its quirky, small-scale launch. By 1978, director Sharman experienced the magic firsthand when he caught a midnight show. “I bought a ticket like anyone else,” he told the New York Post. “The audience interaction, costumes, and party vibe were already legendary. It felt like a surreal tribute to late-night cinema.”
Sharman credits the film’s enduring cult status to its low-budget, B-movie roots. “We shot it fast and loose in chilly studios, mixing A-list and B-movie styles,” he said. “No big celebrities or massive budget—just a brilliant, sexy cast that fans could claim as their own.” That’s a big reason why “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” 50th anniversary celebrations are hitting all the right notes today.
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