Kathleen Robertson Mourns Tim Curry as She Works on Documentary About His Life: "A Gift to Be in His Orbit"

Kathleen Robertson is mourning the loss of a new friend. Robertson and documentary partner Peter Ferriero have been working with Tim Curry on a documentary about his storied career. After learning that the actor died at his Los Angeles home on Tuesday, August 25, at age 80, she took to Instagram to share what she learned about him over the course of their collaboration.

"This is a very sad day. Going into this documentary, I knew Tim Curry was an icon. I knew the work. I knew the voice, the wit, the danger that completely singular thing he brought into the world. But then I got to know him deeper than before," she wrote in tribute.

A Deeper Connection

Calling their connection "a gift," she remembered the actor as "so f---ing funny. So smart. So curious. Mischievous. Generous. Completely uninterested in being anything other than exactly who he is." "There was something incredibly moving about being in his orbit. After everything, the fame, the characters, the decades of people projecting so much onto him, there was still just Tim. Sharp as hell. Watching everything. Missing nothing. Taste unparalleled," she continued.

"I feel unbelievably lucky that he trusted us @peterferriero with his story. Lucky that we got to sit with him, listen to him, laugh with him, and capture even a little of who he really was." She concluded, "Tim gave generations of people permission to be strangers. Braver. Louder. More themselves. The world will feel a little less interesting without him in it. Thank you, Tim. For all of it. I'm sorry you weren't able to see what we were making for you before leaving. We will make it our mission to make you proud."

The Documentary Project

Earlier this month, Robertson spoke about the documentary in an interview with The National News Desk. She shared, "I've been spending a lot of time with Tim and deeply immersed in everything Tim Curry. We're making a movie about Tim and his life, and it's really amazing." Robertson explained that she and Ferriero worked with the legendary actor to tell his story in a way that resonated with him.

"We'd been trying to kind of work on a documentary together for a while, and then we sort of started talking about it. And I was at first. I was like, 'I don't know. I mean, Tim had a stroke, and he's paralyzed. He's in a wheelchair. What would be the story?" Robertson said. Then they chatted with Curry, who was "really open to" the idea after reviewing his life for his 2025 memoir, Vagabond. Robertson shared, "And so we kind of thought, 'There really is like an amazing kind of survivor story here.'"

A Star-Studded Tribute

Robertson noted that the documentary will include A-listers such as Ridley Scott, Carol Burnett, Christina Applegate, Alec Baldwin, and Billy Corgan, with more to come because, "Basically, everybody we've reached out to has been like, 'Yes. What? Where? Where do I go? Of course, I'll do it!'"

The untitled documentary is slated for release next year. It will explore Curry's remarkable career, from his early days on the West End to his iconic film roles, including Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Pennywise in It, and Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2. The film will also address the challenges he faced later in life, including the stroke he suffered in 2012 that left him partially paralyzed.

A Survivor's Story

Curry's openness about his life in his memoir and his willingness to participate in the documentary reflects his resilience and his desire to share his story on his own terms. Despite the physical limitations imposed by his stroke, he remained engaged and sharp, eager to be part of a project that would honor his legacy.

Robertson's tribute captures the essence of who Curry was: a man of immense talent, wit, and generosity, who never lost his sense of self, even in the face of fame and adversity. Her words also convey the profound impact he had on those who knew him personally, as well as the generations of fans who were inspired by his work.

Curry gave generations of people permission to be exactly who they are strange, brave, loud, and unapologetically themselves. His characters pushed boundaries and challenged norms, and his off-screen persona was just as compelling. As Robertson noted, "The world will feel a little less interesting without him in it."

His legacy will live on through his films, his memoir, and the documentary that will soon bring his story to audiences around the world. For Robertson, Ferriero, and everyone who had the privilege of working with him, the loss is personal. But so is the honor of having known him.