Curry played the Devil in Legend and Pennywise in the 1990 IT, but the role that rattled him most was a two-episode guest spot on “Criminal Minds,” and he bullied his way onto the show to get it.
“I am a demented fan,” Tim Curry said of Criminal Minds. “I’ve seen every episode at least twice.”
He knew Kirsten Vangsness, who plays Penelope, from his gym and had a friend who used to write for the series, and he leaned on both of them until word reached the producers.
The role was Billy Flynn, a nomadic home-invader loosely modeled on Richard Ramirez, who strikes during blackouts, kills families, and leaves a child alive as a witness. Curry played him across the Season 5 finale “Our Darkest Hour” and the Season 6 premiere “The Longest Night” in 2010.
“I played the Devil and that awful clown in Stephen King’s IT, but this guy is out there,” Curry said. “I wasn’t prepared for how far into the dark I had to go.”
He said there wasn’t a single redeeming feature in Flynn, that he had nightmares during the shoot, and that shaking the character after filming was harder than with any villain before him.
Joe Mantegna, who plays David Rossi on Criminal Minds, remembered Tim by posting a photo of the two of them on set, saying, “Of my 17 years on Criminal Minds one of my greatest joys was being able to work with Tim Curry. Rest in peace dear Tim. 🕊️”
