Kevin Bacon reveals ‘crazy’ Footloose filming story he’s never shared until now

18 February 2025, 15:18

The Ren McCormack star has opened up about what he used to get up to on his days away from the Footloose set.

Kevin Bacon has revealed a new behind-the-scenes Footloose fact to celebrate the film’s 41st birthday.

Taking to his Instagram stories on Monday, February 17, the American actor told a story about what he used to get up to on his days off from filming the iconic 80s film.

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“I don’t think I’ve ever told [this story] before,” Kevin said, leading into his tale.

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It turns out the Apollo 13 star – who now lives on a farm with his wife of 36 years Kyra Sedgwick – was enjoying riding “a bunch of really kind of wild” horses in his downtime, despite the risks they posed to his good health during the shoot.

As the 66-year-old explained in his video, the horses were owned by Footloose producer Dan Melnick.

The producer kindly didn’t intervene with Kevin’s antics, as he trusted the actor to stay safe while enjoying exploring the Utah mountains on his time off.

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“I was doing a movie where if I got hurt, that was it. Game over,” Kevin reflected while telling the story to fans yesterday.

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“In any movie, you’re not supposed to go out and ride horses on the weekend,” he added.

“But Footloose? One of the most physical movies I did. [And] there I was, charging through the woods on Dan’s horses.

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“I guess he trusted me,” Kevin concluded thankfully.

Dan Melnick passed away in October 2009, aged 77.

Alongside Footloose, Dan – who began his career as a 19-year-old television producer with CBS – worked on other iconic films and shows such as The Flintstones, All That Jazz and Westworld.