The ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ star who never acted again: “I cringe with embarrassment”

Posted On September 26, 2025September 26, 2025

Few movies have had such a lasting cult legacy as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which landed in cinemas in 1975 to equal levels of shock and admiration.

Sure, the decade was becoming more open to ideas of sexuality that were previously taboo, but LGBTQ+ rights were far from what they are today, so the depiction of a corset-wearing transvestite scientist who creates an ‘ideal man’ – complete with rippling muscles and gold hot pants – was certainly groundbreaking. 

Jim Sharman’s film was certainly received with more horror at first, but who can resist those unforgettable musical numbers and outrageous outfits? The film invites you into a ridiculous world that is part B-movie sci-fi parody and part shameless celebration of all things typically demonised by the mainstream. Here, people can identify however they like, and with Tim Curry’s mesmerising performance as Frank-N-Furter, which he had originated on stage, there was an overwhelming air of acceptance present in the film.

That’s why the movie still has such a huge cult following today – its glam rock origins of embodying your own identity, no matter how flamboyant, have inspired many, particularly those who identify as queer. The Rocky Horror Picture Show was a landmark for queer cinema, but also musicals in general, because this one was sexier, rockier, and well, simply a lot cooler than something like Oklahoma! or Oliver.

Curry went on to appear in further Broadway hits, as well as portraying the horrifying clown Pennywise in the 1980s adaptation of Stephen King’s It, while Susan Sarandon became a Hollywood icon. However, there was one cast member who quickly stepped away from acting. You’d think that appearing in a movie as beloved as The Rocky Horror Picture Show would inspire you to immerse yourself in showbiz even further, but Peter Hinwood threw in the gold hotpants quicker than he could say, ‘Let’s do the time warp again.’

Hinwood wasn’t a proper actor, but his experience in modelling (and his extremely ripped physique) made him the perfect candidate to play Frank-N-Furter’s creation, Rocky Horror, a role that didn’t really require many lines. He spends the film embodying Frank-N-Furter’s idea of the perfect man, his oiled and tanned body made even more unforgettable by the presence of his bright blonde hair and matching gold pants and boots.

He is basically the embodiment of pure, unadulterated camp here, and as much as Hinwood seemed to appreciate the role, he had no interest in using his newfound fame to actually enter Hollywood. Instead, he has happily found success as an antique dealer alongside his partner Christopher Gibbs, the late-swinging sixties icon.

Talking to People in 2000, Hinwood explained why he wasn’t particularly bothered about becoming an actor following his appearance in The Rocky Horror Picture Show: “One, I can’t act. Two, I cringe with embarrassment every time I see myself on film. Three, I relish a quiet, peaceful life.” It’s a shame that he feels embarrassed by seeing himself in such an iconic film, but I guess looking back on a 30-year-old version of yourself wearing nothing but hot pants and a tan can do that to you.

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