Kevin Bacon recently took a bold step to experience life as an ordinary person, only to find it less than appealing. The 65-year-old “Footloose” star, who is currently starring alongside Eddie Murphy in “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” and opposite Mia Goth in the horror sequel “Maxxxine,” shared his experience in an interview with Vanity Fair.
Bacon, known for his highly recognizable face, decided to go to great lengths to live out his fantasy of being a non-celebrity. “I’m not complaining, but I have a face that’s pretty recognizable,” he said. “Putting my hat and glasses on is only going to work to a certain extent.” To achieve his goal, he consulted with a special effects makeup artist to create a prosthetic disguise. The transformation included fake teeth, a new nose, and glasses.
With his new look, Bacon ventured to The Grove, a bustling outdoor mall in Los Angeles, to blend in with the crowd. To his initial delight, the disguise worked perfectly. “Nobody recognized me,” he said. However, the experience quickly turned sour. “People were kind of pushing past me, not being nice. Nobody said, ‘I love you.’ I had to wait in line to, I don’t know, buy a f***ing coffee or whatever. I was like, This sucks. I want to go back to being famous.”
This experiment highlighted the stark contrast between Bacon’s life as a celebrity and the anonymity he briefly experienced. Despite the initial excitement of blending in, the reality of being just another face in the crowd was far from glamorous.
Earlier this week, Bacon reflected on his career and the challenges he faced as a leading actor. After “Footloose” catapulted him to stardom in 1984, he struggled to meet the high expectations placed on him. “Yeah, there was a lot of pressure in it when it finally happened. I’m not sure that I was really ready,” he told The Guardian.
Throughout the late 1980s, Bacon starred in several films that either received negative reviews or performed poorly at the box office, including “Quicksilver,” “White Water Summer,” “End of the Line,” “She’s Having a Baby,” “Criminal Law,” and “The Big Picture.” Reflecting on this period, he admitted, “I continued doing leads for a lot of years, but I wasn’t really doing it very well. I was doing it OK. But the movies weren’t successful. My picker was off. Like, I couldn’t choose! I didn’t want anybody’s advice. I was making some bad mistakes.”
It wasn’t until 1990 that Bacon’s career took a positive turn. He starred in “Tremors” and “Flatliners” and delivered memorable supporting roles in “JFK,” “A Few Good Men,” “The River Wild,” “Apollo 13,” and “Sleepers.” This shift in his career helped him redefine his approach to acting. “When I kind of rethought it, and rethought about the possibility of being number 10 on a call sheet, or number two, or number 25, or whatever – that’s when I figured out who I was as an actor,” he said. “So I no longer have a problem doing a small part.”
Bacon, who has been married to actor Kyra Sedgwick for 35 years, is also a musician. He formed The Bacon Brothers with his brother Michael in 1995, and the duo has released seven albums. Despite his success in both acting and music, Bacon’s brief foray into the life of an ordinary person left him yearning for the familiarity and adoration that comes with fame.
In his recent interview with Vanity Fair, Bacon discussed his role in “Maxxxine,” the third film in Ti West’s horror series. He plays a sleazy private detective hired to track down the title character, Maxine, portrayed by Mia Goth. Bacon fully embraced the character’s sinister nature, delivering lines with a thick Louisiana accent. The film, which premieres on July 5, showcases Bacon’s ability to disappear into a role, even if his real-life attempt at anonymity was less successful.
Bacon also stars in the action-comedy “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” where Eddie Murphy praised him as “the perfect villain” for the franchise. Reflecting on his career, Bacon expressed gratitude for the diverse roles he continues to receive. “I honestly feel very grateful for where I happen to be,” he said. “That I can have two totally different movies coming out within a couple of days of each other, and completely different roles. The fact they would both come my way is the thing that I feel the most gratitude for. I’ve fought really long and hard for it.”
Despite his brief dissatisfaction with ordinary life, Bacon remains committed to his craft and continues to seek out challenging and diverse roles. His experience as a regular person may have been short-lived, but it served as a reminder of the unique and privileged position he holds as a celebrated actor.
Source: Vanity Fair, The Guardian, TODAY
