Kevin Bacon once dreamed of trading Hollywood’s relentless spotlight for a quiet life in the countryside.
At just 25, the actor became an overnight sensation with 1984’s Footloose, cementing his status as a household name and teen heartthrob.
But instead of reveling in the fame, he was ready to escape it entirely.
During Thursday’s episode of Mythical Kitchen’s Last Meals, Bacon, now 66, admitted that the whirlwind success left him overwhelmed.
‘I think I had gone through the intensity of Footloose, and exploding onto a kind of national kind of stardom, and then trying to deal with that,’ he shared, describing the sudden rise to fame as ‘zero to 60.’
With nonstop public attention, constant travel, and a failing romantic relationship, the Philadelphia native found himself longing for solitude.
Kevin Bacon once dreamed of trading Hollywood’s relentless spotlight for a quiet life in the countryside; (seen in 2024)
At just 25, the actor became an overnight sensation with 1984’s Footloose, cementing his status as a household name and teen heartthrob – but instead of reveling in the fame, he was ready to escape it entirely
‘I just thought to myself, “I’ll just be a guy with a dog and live alone. I don’t need anything. I don’t need anybody,”‘ he recalled.
Footloose (1984) was a cultural phenomenon, cementing Bacon’s status as a Hollywood leading man.
His portrayal of Ren McCormack, a city kid challenging a small town’s ban on dancing, made him a teen idol and earned him a place in pop culture history.
The film’s success, fueled by an unforgettable soundtrack featuring Kenny Loggins’ hit title track, launched Bacon into overnight fame and set the stage for his decades-long career.
While the attention caused Bacon to embrace a country life, his wife Kyra Sedgwick wasn’t quite as sold on the rustic dream.
After meeting and marrying Sedgwick, the couple settled into what Bacon describes as a ‘funky, small, rundown farmhouse’ in western Connecticut.
For years, she went along with the lifestyle.
‘And we lived in this little place, and I chopped the wood, and when we weren’t working, she brought a dog into the mix. So it was us — and [our dogs] Jane and Tybalt,’ he recalled.
Footloose original trailer starring Kevin Bacon
‘I think I had gone through the intensity of Footloose, and exploding onto a kind of national kind of stardom, and then trying to deal with that,’ he shared, describing the sudden rise to fame as ‘zero to 60’
Footloose (1984) was a cultural phenomenon, cementing Bacon’s status as a Hollywood leading man; (Lori Singer and Bacon)
‘I just thought to myself, “I’ll just be a guy with a dog and live alone. I don’t need anything. I don’t need anybody,”‘ he recalled
Kevin Bacon and wife Kyra Sedgwick recreate ‘Footloose’ dance
‘She said, “This is horrible. I want to go out to lunch. I want to go to the movies or the theater. I want to shop in the Village,”‘ Bacon shared.
The debate over where to live became their biggest argument ever.
Ultimately, they made the move to Manhattan, and in hindsight, Bacon admits his wife had the right idea.
‘It was the greatest thing we ever did,’ he said. ‘She was so right. Raising kids in Manhattan was the best idea.’
Looking back, he knows he made the right call. ‘I did get work. All these things that I was afraid of not happening, happened — and she was right. You know, right again.’
