Movies - TV
John Huston Gave Tim Curry Free Reign To Craft His Annie Character
By SARAH MUSNICKY
The villainous characters of Miss Hannigan, Lily St. Regis, and Rooster, portrayed onscreen in 1982’s “Annie,” match the vibe of what audiences would want from a stage production. For Tim Curry, the experience of working on Rooster was a blast, and a huge part of this was likely due to the free rein director John Huston gave him to approach the character however he wanted.
"When I met with the director, John Huston, I told him that I was going to borrow the physical characteristics of a stagehand that I was working with on Broadway,” recalled Curry. The characterization of Rooster as a peak con artist hustler is nailed well by Curry, even with the additional unnecessary murderous plot point towards the end of the film.
Trust goes a long way, and Huston had that in spades when interacting with his actors, enabling them to create relationships that allowed them to hit the right notes. "Annie" is a good lesson on how far trust can go in ensuring a pleasant experience on a production for actors if they're still talking about the experiences years later.