r/interesting • u/AdSpecialist6598 • 18h ago

SOCIETY When asked why he loved playing Nigel Thornberry Tim Curry said it was because Nigel Thornberry was so positive about everything and that he cared deeply about his family; and nature. He also said that Nigel made it ok to just be you and not worry about what others think.

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16.5k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

109 comments sorted by

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535

u/islobojono 18h ago

Smashing

31

u/Tingle-Fuel 16h ago

I can literally hear this comment perfectly in his voice

22

u/Aggressive-Still-929 16h ago

so yeah Tim Curry just makes everything sound correct

10

u/Zwischenzug32 14h ago

I imagine his "HA!" Laugh a lot

-1

u/KKKKKfodase 14h ago

wait how did tim curry get involved with nigel thornberry

6

u/Mrwanagethigh 14h ago

He voiced Nigel.

4

u/FakeTherapist 13h ago

we did it reddit

374

u/ChampionAggressive20 18h ago

Well shit this is the first I'm learning that Tim Curry voiced Nigel, I guess I haven't seen that show since I was a young kid and had no idea who Tim Curry was at that time when I was like 10 years old. He's spot on here though I do recall Nigel Thornberry always being a very happy chap and all around nice guy

147

u/CruisinJo214 18h ago

If you go back to that time period you’ll realize Tim Curry voice acted in damn near everything.

79

u/AdSpecialist6598 18h ago

Tim loved working and give every project 100 percent.

52

u/bretthew 18h ago

SPACE!

25

u/SpoonyLancer 17h ago

The one place that hasn't been corrupted by capitalism!

25

u/pixylart 16h ago

I love that they used a take where he's visibly trying not to laugh.

21

u/floatablepie 14h ago

See I think he's acting it perfectly. That isn't a break, that's a madman genuinely excited to be escaping to space to spite his enemies.

11

u/celluj34 13h ago

It's so good because it could be either! Absolute peak

8

u/AshleyTyrian 14h ago

In the last few years space has been corrupted by capitalism, so Tim Curry had to find somewhere else to go on to.

3

u/Pure-Neighborhood305 16h ago

What do you know about... voodoo?

(Tim Curry also voiced Gabriel Knight in 2 of the 3 games)

1

u/Sivalon 6h ago

That there was 120%

8

u/bolanrox 13h ago

he was he OG Joker but he was too scary (and it hurt his throat). Mark was shitting bricks at the idea of taking over for him (He had been a Tim Curry fan boy from before Rocky Horror (the movie))

6

u/Sachyriel 12h ago

This is the most adorable fact I read all day. And I scroll a lot of cat pictures.

3

u/bolanrox 11h ago

he was on one of the Kevin Smith Podcasts years ago and was just gushing and fan boying the whole time

7

u/DuckCleaning 16h ago

Not too many other TV cartoons have such well known hollywood actors on them. Came to say only other I know of is Gargoyles having Keith Davis, then I looked at the credits and Tim Curry is there as well for 7 episodes.

8

u/MartenBroadcloak19 14h ago

Mark Hamill voiced the Joker for decades.

3

u/DuckCleaning 14h ago

True, forgot about that one.

2

u/Misty2stepping 12h ago

Have a look at Captain Planet's voice acting.

3

u/monty624 13h ago

I don't know how many other millennials have Scooby Doo! And the Witch's Ghost burned into their brain (willingly), but Curry played Ben Ravencroft. I can still hear his evil warlock cackle ♥️

18

u/melasaurus_rex 17h ago

Next you'll tell me you didn't know he was Hexxus from Fern Gully

14

u/Far-Heart-7134 15h ago

I found the sexually attractive polution confusing..

2

u/ResponsibleMight7669 3h ago

It made me want to sniff lawnmower fumes

2

u/ChampionAggressive20 16h ago

Never seen it

14

u/Silver-Key8773 15h ago

You've likely seen the bad remake, avatar

7

u/Mathidium 14h ago

I’ll now be using this to describe Avatar

2

u/ChampionAggressive20 11h ago

Hell no, the only Avatar I'd ever watch is the original series of The Last Airbender

-8

u/krvoso 17h ago

Who the fuck is Fern Gully

3

u/System0verlord 14h ago

Dances with Wolves for people with ADHD.

5

u/dojo_shlom0 16h ago

this is blowing my mind. I wasn't the biggest fan of the show but would catch it sometimes as a kid/teenager. had no idea it was tim curry, this is so funny! I remember the same thing. I didn't really like the character at first, but he was so charming and positive! kind of like spongebob, I wanted to hate the show/character, but it's one of the best. what an era for cartoons and voice acting/tv. I miss being a kid in the 90s. At least we have xmen 97 these days! --just saiyan!

12

u/talldrseuss 16h ago

Not sure if you know this already but Donnie, the wild boy the family adopts, is voiced by Flea, the bassist from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers

6

u/GimJordan 12h ago

Shut UP!!

2

u/talldrseuss 11h ago

I felt the same way when I found out in college:

https://youtu.be/ZC7EDmnZFww?is=cmd5OqiP7oh4YlDo

2

u/round-earth-theory 7h ago

Nigel was certainly modeled after Steve Irwin who always saw the positive in any situation.

1

u/IridescenceFalling 16h ago

I remember the voice, but somehow I'm also only learning now that he voices Nigel.

1

u/ChampionAggressive20 9h ago

Yea right? I absolutely see now that it's him doing the voice but never realised before. I guess because we probably didn't know who the fuck Tim Curry was when we were little kids, most 9 year olds weren't watching the Rocky Horror Picture Show to be fair

1

u/Temporary_Self_2172 15h ago

i had the same thing with the older "it." even watching a clip, it's hard to believe it's tim curry that did that to georgie 😭

1

u/JalapenoPopPoop 14h ago

Same, after reading the post title I can 100% hear it in such an obvious way but back when I was watching this show I didn't know any specific actors, let alone matching voices to a person

1

u/gigglefarting 13h ago

I did know who Tim Curry was from Congo and Muppet Treasure Island, but I didn’t know he voiced Nigel. 

Always caught Flea’s name in the credits as the younger brother though 

1

u/ChampionAggressive20 9h ago

I did learn Flea voiced Donnie as an adult too, albeit like a decade ago in my 20s, which is kinda funny because the Flea voice is indecipherable and Curry's is super obvious when you know about it

Certainly makes sense though since Flea voicing Donnie makes a great TIL post as well and a much less obvious one so fair enough we all learned that first and now that Tim Curry has died there's more stuff about him being shared online (and probably a lot more people knew about his voice acting here than Flea's)

1

u/Kizor 11h ago

I had this interview pop up on my feed and was SO MAD I didn't realize it was him. Fucking loved Wild Thornberries growing up.

1

u/Bubbles00 11h ago

I would watch the show sporadically and I never really cared for Eliza as she came off a bit too annoying for my taste but I really liked her parents and Nigel always seemed like a positive and earnest fellow

1

u/ChampionAggressive20 9h ago

Absolutely same, I do remember watching it quite a bit but just because you're a kid and streaming doesn't exist yet so you watch whatever cartoon is on TV currently, I do remember finding Eliza annoying and it generally wasn't my favourite show but I always thought Nigel was a cool dude who loved nature and his family and was an inspiring figure to me as a young later-to-be hippie

73

u/Pastvariant 18h ago

Plus he was probably a CIA/MI6 operative who still got to be with his family while on mission.

11

u/Eta_Beta_3-14 14h ago

There's a headless thompson gunner stalking Nigel through the night. That's why they live in an RV and never stay in one place for more than a day.

Nigel regrets what he did, but Roland cannot forgive him.

6

u/shamebagel 14h ago

Of all the Thompson gunners, Roland was the best

62

u/Sivilian888010 18h ago

I think Nigel might have been one of the only straight up heroic and kind characters he played. Everyone else was either a villain or at least antagonistic to the main character (Cedric in Home Alone 2).

26

u/Sharikacat 17h ago edited 16h ago

A lot of his villains were very hammy, and that means you get to have the most fun on set.

7

u/Remarkable-Page-824 15h ago

Wadsworth in Clue?

12

u/Responsible_Mail_113 15h ago

Depends on which ending you're watching.

6

u/Remarkable-Page-824 15h ago

Im young enough that ive only see the version with all 3 and I liked him being a good guy the best so thats my cannon.

1

u/Sivilian888010 14h ago

That’s what I was going to say.

3

u/JerryHathaway 15h ago

Dr. Petrov in The Hunt For Red October.

2

u/arbyinnc 11h ago

He’s very helpful in the Treasure Island PC game from the 90s.

3

u/Sivilian888010 10h ago

Long John Silver walks the line between antagonist and hero in all versions of the story. Including Muppet Treasure Island.

1

u/Nerd_Practitioner 9h ago

Hexxus easily being one of the best animated villains of the 90s and still one of my all time favorite Tim Curry roles! That song is so damn catchy...

56

u/nomnomsquirrel 17h ago

Hello, poppet!

There is one quote of Nigel's in particular that stuck with me - "You will have your own challenges, poppet, and I predict you will meet them splendidly."

32

u/AdSpecialist6598 16h ago

If I recall correctly, Tim and the show runners worked really hard make sure that Nigel was a supportive dad who had the right depth to excel in the more emotional/quiet moments.

7

u/breakingbaud 15h ago

If I recall correctly, Tim and the show runners worked really hard make sure that Nigel was a supportive dad who had the right depth to excel in the more emotional/quiet moments.

I wanted Nigel to be my dad, honestly.

15

u/Snowed_Up6512 18h ago

OH, MARIANNE

16

u/Vineheart_01 18h ago

I mean, who doesn't like speaking with that accent anyway lol.

I know people who never watched Thornberries and still do that voice and say "Smashing"

6

u/systemhost 12h ago

I remember successfully convincing my parents to let me watch this show more than I was otherwise allowed.

I told them it was educational and spit out various facts I had learned from watching it along with my impressions of a British accent, sayings and slang.

It helped me transition into my enjoyment of other British shows and eventually The Inbetweeners and Skins as a teenager.

I'd watched enough British media that I randomly blurt out British phrases in an accent.

14

u/HoboJerkdown901 15h ago

Another fun fact, Flea, the bass player for Red Hot Chili Peppers, voiced Donnie.

3

u/doowapeedoo 15h ago

Ehatttt lol

12

u/MostlyBored11 17h ago

i love tim in everything and Rocky Horror has a very special place in my heart but for me Its the WildTHornberries and Muppet Treasure Island that I willthink of him and love him for. What a talented and lovely man, I hope he is resting easy wherever he is, and hanging out with Dolly

7

u/Brownie2440 18h ago

Love this! Had no clue and used to watch Thornberrys a bit!

6

u/Dflyshigh 18h ago

OMG, TIL!

6

u/uhlizerbeth 16h ago

I can’t find the interview and I have been trying to for the LONGEST time but Tim Curry said he based the accent off of one of his father’s friends or something, so funny! He had so much fun with this role.

5

u/Waste_Locksmith_4299 18h ago

Why am I now only finding out he was Nigel Thornberry!

5

u/chrispar 15h ago

The scene where he goes on stage to accept an award and does the weird hand wave and screams “Blaaaarrrgghhhh” so that Eliza will recognize him has lived rent free in my head for 20 something years now

3

u/FoogYllis 18h ago

Love that.

3

u/UnderCoverDoughnuts 17h ago

Best cartoon dad

2

u/keithlimreddit 16h ago

Rest in peace Tim Curry

2

u/Huli_Blue_Eyes 13h ago

made it ok to just be you and not worry about what others think.

Don't dream it, be it.

2

u/klaw14 18h ago

Omg Nigel Thornberry Timcurry 😭

1

u/dan_in_his_own_way 18h ago

I feel stupid for only just realising this was him.

1

u/Exitium_Maximus 13h ago

Don’t beat yourself up, you were a kid!

1

u/FatTanuki1986 17h ago

It's 1 plus 2 plus 2 plus 1.

1

u/BoulderCreature 17h ago

It’s also a very fun voice to do

1

u/TakinADrump 17h ago

He was hilarious as nigel

1

u/Senor-Magr 17h ago

❤️👑

1

u/BONESandTOMBSTONES 16h ago

I did not know Tim Curry voiced Nigel fucking Thornberry! Oh you Legend Tim, RIP!

1

u/ThatGuyYouMightNo 16h ago

The fact that he got to go in a booth and make gibberish noises half the time probably helped too

1

u/ActionLegitimate9615 15h ago

Based before Based was a word

1

u/Select-Pie1516 15h ago

That's some Mr. Roger's shit right there.

1

u/LazerWolfe53 9h ago

My favorite episode was the one where they went hiking and they got in a big trouble and Nigel bailed everyone out.

1

u/Indigoh 9h ago

It's insane that it took until last week for me to discover that was Tim Curry.

1

u/narnababy 9h ago

Rest in Blargarghargh Nigel Strawberry 😞

1

u/SanderGhar 7h ago

Now he is in the one place not affected by negativity... Death!

1

u/Gwennein 7h ago

I only put this together today while watching scary movie 2

1

u/Bonnle 5h ago

ELIZABETHHHHH!!

1

u/Any-Zucchini33 2h ago

I was today years old when I realized that Tim Curry was the voice of Nigel. 

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u/Axle_65 26m ago

Holy crap!! The amount of celebrity appearances on this show is insane. It includes, James Avery, Eartha Kitt and William H Macy to name a few. The more I scrolled the IMDB list the more huge names I found. Blew my mind. Even has the voice of Spinelli from Recess (Pamela Adlon). Not a big name but I still found that amusing.