• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Kevin Bacon rejected Footloose fame because he wanted to be a 'serious actor'

Home> Film & TV> News

Published 17:09 30 Sep 2023 GMT+1

Kevin Bacon rejected Footloose fame because he wanted to be a 'serious actor'

Kevin Bacon didn't like being famous for a 'dance movie', but now things are looking up as he takes on more serious roles.

Britt Jones

Britt Jones

There’s no better footwork than that well-known movie from the 80s. What was it called again?

Oh, Footloose!

Well, this 1984 film produced one hell of a star in the form on Kevin Bacon, who played the leading man (Ren McCormack) from a small town that just needed to get his boogie on.

But it wasn’t all lights and cameras for this actor, as he’s now admitting that the fame he reached after the film’s success wasn’t in line with what he originally planned for himself.

Advert

In fact, Bacon went on the ‘Podcrushed’ podcast via Insider and spoke about how he didn’t know he was actually auditioning for a ‘dance movie’ when he did his test audition for his role.

Kevin Bacon wanted a different kind of fame.
Instagram/ @kevinbacon

He said: “When I did the dance movie, I was not a dancer. I wasn’t trained as a dancer.”

“If I’m being honest, I didn’t even really understand that it was a dance movie. I thought it was just a movie, and then, where they would indicate that there was dancing, I would just get up.”

Advert

Bacon explained: “They said something about a choreographer, and I said, ‘You don’t really need a choreographer. I’ll just get up and dance. It’s not a big deal. Just play the record for me and I’ll jump around.’ So, I was definitely not trained by any stretch of the imagination.”

The hit dance film featured a teenage boy from Chicago who moves to a small town full of modest people that from upon dancing in a wild style, leads to McCormack fuelling a rebellion against the local minister (played by John Lithgow), who has outlawed dancing.

We all remember the absolute bops that came from that film, right?

It was the soundtrack that had mums, dad, and grans out of their seats and on to the dancefloor as soon as the beginning notes were recognised.

Advert

It was so popular that Bacon became some sort of pop star for the 1980s, but it wasn’t his scene.

Bacon became famous after the release of 1984 Footloose.
Instagram/ Paramount Pictures/ @kevinbacon

“When I became a pop star, the last thing I wanted to be was a pop star,” he said.

“I had already moved into, ‘I want to be Dustin Hoffman or Meryl or John Cazale or De Niro. I want to work with Scorsese. I want to do Chekhov.’ You know what I mean?”

Advert

“I was so into what my idea of a serious actor was, and all of a sudden, I was given this thing that was completely not a serious actor.”

“So, I rejected it, full on. I tried to self-sabotage that piece of myself and my popularity.”

He added: “I was very, very uncomfortable with photo shoots and magazines, and all these things that I dreamed of as a kid.”

“Everything that I had dreamed of gave me a tremendous amount of self-doubt and anxiety.”

Advert

But his wish was soon to come true as Bacon would soon work with directors like as Oliver Stone, Rob Reiner, Ron Howard, Clint Eastwood and more.

So, it looks as though he’s getting the kind of roles he wants after so long.

Featured Image Credit: Noam Galai/Getty Images / Paramount Pictures

Topics: Film and TV, Entertainment, Celebrity, News

Britt Jones
Britt Jones

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

4 hours ago
15 hours ago
a day ago
  • 4 hours ago

    Netflix crime drama streamed for 38,900,000 hours fans are binge-watching ‘in one day’

    'A sweetly satisfying binge'

    Film & TV
  • 15 hours ago

    People think The Simpsons predicted Labubus as disturbing theory has owners burning viral toy

    The much-loved Chinese soft toys have been linked with a dark conspiracy theory that has started a trend of owners burning their toys

    Film & TV
  • a day ago

    Netflix fans are binge-watching 'perfectly paced' mystery mini-series in one weekend

    'Stream it...binge it. So worth it.'

    Film & TV
  • a day ago

    Stephen King's new Amazon Prime Video series might just plug that Stranger Things gap in your life

    A fan-favorite King book gets the streaming treatment - but does it pay off?

    Film & TV
  • Modern Family star recalls thinking she was 'going to die' after being told she needed a pacemaker at 29 years old
  • Netflix viewers defy critics over comedy sitcom which has left them ‘wheeze laughing constantly’ and demanding a third season
  • Friends director struggled to work with guest actor because she 'wasn't funny'
  • 6-year-old girl has passport rejected because she’s named after Game of Thrones character