Kevin Bacon on Footloose Fame, Dancing, and Career Choices

Unexpected Pop Stardom

• 💡 Kevin Bacon reflects on the overwhelming pop star fame that came with the movie Footloose, stating he was unprepared for it.
• 🎯 He admits to being naive about the industry, not realizing that embracing pop stardom could have eventually led to diverse career opportunities.
• 🎭 Bacon aspired to be a "serious actor" and felt the pop star status was at odds with that goal.

Career Decisions and Self-Sabotage

• ⚠️ Bacon describes a period of self-sabotage where he resisted press opportunities and made choices he felt would give him more "edge."
• 🧠 He acknowledges a tendency to not listen to advice or mentorship, believing he knew best for his career.
• 📉 This led to a string of less successful movies where he was the star, indicating poor career choices.

The Reality of Fame

• 🚀 Bacon explains that while he wanted to be famous as a kid, he didn't truly understand the intensity of fame until he was in it.
• 🌟 He contrasts his early fame from roles in "Diner" and "soaps" with the "stratosphere" level of fame achieved after Footloose.
• 😅 The experience was initially overwhelming and "freaky," but has since become his normal life over 40 years.

Footloose and the Dancing Surprise

• 🕺 Bacon reveals he didn't realize how much dancing would be involved in Footloose, thinking a choreographer might not be necessary.
• 🤕 He mentions Rob Lowe injuring himself during a dance audition for the film.
• 🎶 While not a trained dancer, Bacon enjoyed dancing in clubs in the 70s and had some movement training in acting school.
• 🤯 Upon arriving to rehearse, he was surprised to find an entire soundstage dedicated solely to dancing and gymnastics, realizing the film was a bigger production than anticipated.