The 1984 drama movie, Footloose has become an iconic piece of cinema over the years. Telling the story of a small town where dancing has been banned, Kevin Bacon played the role of the rebel Ren McCormack who broke the rules to overturn the status quo. However, in an ironic twist of fate, Bacon has enforced a ban of his own in real life – never to hear the titular song of the flick at a wedding.
During an interview on the Conan O’Brien talk show, Bacon revealed that he deliberately pays DJs at the weddings he attends not to play the Kenny Loggins song ‘Footloose’. The reason for the bribe is that the star has experienced people encouraging him to recreate his dance scene in the ’80s movie during someone else’s big day, which, let’s be honest, sounds like an awkward experience for everybody involved. “It’s awful. Just awful. I try to avoid that if possible,” he said.
“I go to the disc jockey and hand him $20 and say, ‘Please don’t play that song’,” Bacon explained. “Because a wedding is really not about me, it’s about the bride and groom, and it’s embarrassing.”
While Bacon’s performance in Footloose has gone down as one of the most memorable musical scenes in Hollywood, it is understandable why the star avoids it at events. Having Kevin Bacon thrown into the limelight during a ceremony is something no happy couple wants on their big day, and the actor knows that.
Bacon also revealed in the interview that he almost didn’t land the role of Ren in the first place. “The producer of the movie wanted me, and the director of the movie wanted me,” he said. “But the head of the studio at the time literally said to them, ‘I don’t want that kid: he’s not fuckable’.”
Well, luckily, tastes change since Bacon landed the gig, and honestly, we couldn’t imagine anyone else taking on the part or paying off disc jockeys decades later.
If you are after more classics, here are our lists of the best musicals and best teen movies of all time.