Singer Adam Lambert this week discussed
why he decided not to take the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in Fox's
upcoming remake of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Tim Curry pioneered the role of Dr.
Frank-N-Furter, a self-proclaimed “sweet transvestite from
Transsexual, Transylvania,” in the original Broadway production and
the 1975 20th Century Fox movie.
Speaking
to Idolator,
Lambert said that the role should go to a transgender actor.
“I kind of felt like in 2016, to be
cis and playing the role of a trans character, it felt inappropriate
to me,” Lambert said.
“In the 70s, it was different,” he
added. “But nowadays we have such an amazing conversation that's
started about trans and gender in this world.”
Instead, the role will be played by
Laverne Cox, who in 2014 received an Emmy nomination for her
portrayal of transgender inmate Sophia Burset on the Netflix comedy
Orange is The New Black, making her the first transgender
actor to receive such an honor.
“I think casting Laverne was so
brilliant,” Lambert said. “It's so appropriate, you know what I
mean? And to re-imagine [the character], as well, because she's
entirely different.”
Lambert has been cast as Eddie, a
rock-n-roller who crashes the party at Frank-N-Furter's castle.
“I recorded my songs already,”
Lambert said. “And they turned out really cool Now, I'm going in
for a week in April, in Toronto, to film.”