Reeve Carney: ‘My Rocky Horror Riff Raff is sprinkled with a little Uncle Arty’

Actor Reeve Carney “injected” a little of his great-uncle Art Carney’s comedy into the role of Riff Raff for the new TV adaptation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
The former Broadway Spider-Man stepped into the shoes of the show’s creator Richard O’Brien when he signed up to play the creepy butler in the remake, which airs in America on Thursday night (20Oct16), and he turned to The Honeymooners star for inspiration.
“My great-uncle is a very famous actor named Art Carney and I think he is one of the most brilliant comedians of all time and I don’t say that as a family member,” Reeve tells WWD.com. “There were actually moments in Rocky Horror where I thought, ‘Oh, wow, something about this feels like I can inject a little bit of Uncle Arty in this part’. I wonder if that will be apparent to anyone or not.”
The actor is part of an all-star cast, topped by Laverne Cox, who will tackle the role of transsexual alien scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the campy TV special. The role was originated by Tim Curry, who also appears in the remake, and Cox admits she was nervous about pulling off the role.
“I have to say it’s the hardest thing I’ve had to do in my life,” Cox told U.S. chat show host Jimmy Kimmel. “I’ve never felt that much pressure because Tim Curry, who originated this role, is so incredible, but it was one of the most rewarding experiences.”
Laverne added that the TV show is very faithful to the original movie film script, penned by O’Brien and Jim Sharman, although she reveals that fans should expect to see costumes and sets which are more lavish than those in the original film.
“What’s so wonderful about our version is that we have a bigger budget than they did 40 years ago, so we get to really realise Richard O’Brien’s vision, of this tribute to ‘50s rock’n’roll and B horror,” explained Laverne. “It is opulent and fantastic.”
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again, which also stars Victoria Justice and Adam Lambert, will premiere on the U.S. Fox network on 20 October (16).