Kevin Bacon today took a trip down memory lane at a career retrospective during SXSW in Austin, Texas, on March 7 as he reflected upon his productive four-decade acting career in Hollywood. One of the topics talked about was his iconic role in Footloose, the 1984 film where he starred as Ren McCormack, a high school student fighting to bring dance to a small, conservative town.
The movie was a hit from the moment it came out, with its rebellious spirit, legendary dance numbers, and catchy tunes. Despite being out for more than 30 years, the legacy of the movie still follows Bacon around today, and it creates some very surprising problems for him.
How does ‘Footloose’ still affect Kevin Bacon at weddings?
For Bacon, Footloose isn’t a movie, it’s part of who he is. He claimed one of his worst fears is attending a wedding and the song “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins would come on. Everyone’s attention during those moments would be directed toward him, with others encircling him, waiting for him to re-create the legendary dance routine from the film.
To avoid this, Bacon has a practice of requesting that DJs refrain from playing the song. He then tells them that it is not that he dislikes the song, he simply does not wish to be placed under the spotlight and have to go through that scene over again.
Kevin Bacon had no professional dance training before he danced in ‘Footloose’
When Bacon first signed on for Footloose, he had never done any dance training whatsoever, though he had always enjoyed it. Growing up in Philly, he regularly danced as entertainment, especially at clubs like Studio 54 in New York, though he never took official lessons. Before he read through the script of Footloose, he didn’t realize that dancing was a major part of the movie.
He was then informed that choreography would be key to the success of the film and that he’d need to practice a lot. What was initially an effortless fondness for dance turned into a full-fledged, serious business that established one of the most famous dance scenes in movie history.