BWW Interview - ROCKY HORROR's Laverne Cox on Her Personal Mantra 'Don't Dream It, Do It'!

Emmy Award-nominated actress Laverne Cox is best known for portraying the groundbreaking role of transgender inmate "Sophia Burset" on the hit series "Orange is The New Black." But on October 20th, fans of the talented actress will have the chance to see her in a very different light as she takes on the iconic role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in FOX's THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW.

Today, Cox speaks exclusively to BWW about stepping into the role of this sexually ambiguous, wildly flirtatious, alien mad-scientist!

Were you a Rocky Horror fan prior to your casting and do you remember the first time you saw the film?

I was a Rocky fan, I was a regular Frankie-fan, to quote one of the songs. I never went to any midnight showings of the movie but I first discovered Rocky Horror in my freshman year at college at Indiana University, I was a dance major there. One night, some of my friends in my dorm were talking about Rocky Horror and I was like, 'what's that?' and they said, 'oh my God, you don't know Rocky Horror?' And they explained to me about all the callbacks, and all the audience participation and how everybody gets dressed up. And then they showed it to me, they had a copy of it, and I immediately fell in love with the film, and in particular the Frank-n-Furter character. And then I ran out and got the soundtrack, and learned all the songs, and it was just everything for me. The song "Don't Dream It" became a personal mantra of mine, and I think it certainly gave me more permission to be more myself.

There are so many Rocky Horror purists out there. Does that put extra pressure on you to live up to their expectations?

I did feel that pressure when we were making it, yes. In fact, I've never felt that much pressure professionally ever. You know I felt like I was in some ways carrying the film, and then of course you have Tim Curry's performance of Dr. Frank-n-Furter that is just iconic, perhaps one of the greatest movie portrayals ever. So that was also very intimidating. I put a lot of pressure on myself, and it's probably not healthy to live like this, but I told myself, 'you can't f**k up, you have to be amazing.' But that is what inspired me to work really hard and clear my schedule and be in voice lessons two or three times a week, and dance classes four times a week for months leading up to recording, rehearsing and ultimately shooting the movie. So yes, tons of pressure, tons of anxiety, but what was great about once we did get into the rehearsal process was singing those amazing songs, and the joy of discovering the character even more. That musical moment when I discovered what I wanted to do with the character during the song. I love, love, love acting, and I love that I got to do a musical where I got to really discover the character through the movement, and through the music and tell her story and turn music into movement. It was really cool. But it was also really hard. I have a whole new respect for musical theater people now. Oh my God, it's the hardest thing ever!

You mentioned Tim Curry, who takes on the role of the narrator in this new version. What was it like to have him on set?

It was divine. It was inspiring, it felt magical. Annaleigh Ashford, who plays Columbia, she'd always say, 'it's magical' and it was. One day we had been shooting and it happened to be his 70th birthday and we got a cake for him and we all sang 'Happy Birthday' to him. You know he's a legend, but he's also just a dude, he's a dude who's lived a life, who's still living his life the way he wants to, on his own terms. He's still really cheeky and very British and just awesome. He's an awesome guy.

If there were ever to be a Broadway revival of ROCKY HORROR, would you consider reprising the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter for it?

We'd have to talk! [laughing] No, we'd have to figure out my schedule, you know I'm doing a show on CBS now called 'Doubt' so if that runs for a while, the scheduling could be very tricky. But doing it on stage could be really interesting. What was great about this movie in doing it the way we did it was that I got to pre-record all the singing, so I didn't have to do eight shows a week. And everyone I talk to who has done musical theater says you have to live your life like a nun when you're in a show, you have to be very disciplined with your voice, and your body and it's a different kind of demand that I'd love to take on at some point. I certainly want, at some point, to do Broadway, and certainly want to be on the stage again. Because I've done dancing, and I've done theater in college, I've done off-off Broadway shows over the years, so I want to be back on stage. So yes, I'd have to figure it out and again, adequately prepare, preparation is everything, and have all the tools in place. But Frank-n-Furter is a very difficult part to do every night and to do it in a way that I'd want to, to give everything I could, would be very difficult. So yes, I never say never, and I'm certainly open to it!

Do you have a favorite number from the movie or is just too hard to chose?

Oh, I know my favorite song, my favorite song is 'There's a Light' [Over at the Frankenstein Place]. It's always been my favorite song, I just adore that song so much. And the way Victoria [Justice] and Reeve [Carney] sing it is just stunning, it's so beautiful.

Was there one scene in particular that was your favorite to shoot?

I would say that was easily 'Sweet Transvestite', it was just a magical night. We were doing a night shoot at Toronto's Casa Loma, and it was the last day for the Transylvanians, who are our back-up dancers. They were shooting and they were just so committed and so amazing, There were times that I would walk into rehearsals feeling just exhausted, my body would be hurting, I'd be stretching and taking epsom salt baths, I was in so much pain. But they would be bouncing off the walls quite literally, with just so much energy and so much commitment that it just fed me. You know acting is re-acting and it's wonderful when you're working with people who are so committed and give so much. They really got me through a lot of the tough shoots, I have to be honest. And so their last day was really emotional for me and that scene is Frank's big entrance, and her big moment, so it just was that moment when I suddenly felt I was observing the character just live. It's a really great thing for me as an actor when all of a sudden I felt that Frank-n-Furter was just living her life and I had very little control over it. It was just a magical and wonderful evening. Those are the moments you live for as an actor.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do The Time Warp Again premieres on October 20 on FOX! Watch the trailer below:

Laverne Cox is an Emmy Award-nominated actress who is best known for portraying the groundbreaking role of transgender inmate "Sophia Burset" on the hit series "Orange is The New Black." She is the first trans woman of color to have a leading role on a mainstream scripted television show. Cox recently added another drama to her resume as the lead of the CBS pilot "Doubt." Additional TV credits include "The Mindy Project," "Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce" and "Faking It." She also appeared opposite Lily Tomlin in the feature comedy "Grandma," from acclaimed writer and director Paul Weitz. Her groundbreaking documentary, "Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word," won a Daytime Emmy Award and was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award. Her next trans-themed documentary, "Free CeCe," is scheduled for release in 2016.

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW debuts on FOX on October 20th. The cast includes Laverne Cox (Dr. Frank-N-Furter, "Orange is the New Black"), Victoria Justice (Janet, "Victorious"), Adam Lambert (Eddie, "American Idol) Ryan McCartan (Brad, "Liv & Maddie," "Heathers the Musical"), Reeve Carney (Riff Raff, "Penny Dreadful," "Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark"), Tony Award winner Annaleigh Ashford (Columbia, Kinky Boots, You Can't Take It with You) and Staz Nair (Rocky, "Game of Thrones").

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW follows sweethearts Janet (Justice) and Brad (McCartan), who stumble upon Dr. Frank-N-Furter's (Cox) bizarre abode. Frank-N-Furter, a sexually ambiguous, flirtatious alien mad-scientist - with the help of his faithful servants, Riff Raff (Carney) and Magenta - is holding an annual, Transylvanian science convention to showcase the birth of "Rocky Horror" (Nair) - a fit, attractive man created solely to fulfill Frank's desires.

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW is from Fox 21 Television Studios and The Jackal Group. Lou Adler (Grammy Award winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee) and Gail Berman (TV, film and Broadway producer), along with Emmy Award winner Kenny Ortega ("High School Musical" franchise, "This Is It," "Descendants," "Hocus Pocus," "Newsies"), will serve as executive producers. Ortega will also direct and choreograph.

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW is a reimagining of the cult classic, which is celebrating 40 years of theatrical distribution - longer than any other film in history. One of the most popular films of all time, it still plays in movie theaters around the world.

Photo credit: Steve Wilkie/FOX

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos