Rob Lowe Recalls His Failed Footloose Audition for Kevin Bacon’s Role: I Left ‘on a Stretcher’

Iconic Kevin Bacon Free moves may have helped the actor become a superstar, but they weren’t so kind to Rob Lowe.

In a new discussion about Six degrees with Kevin Bacon podcast, the 59-year-old actor spoke with Bacon, 65, about his time auditioning for the classic 1984 film.

While Bacon eventually landed the role of Ren McCormack that turned his musical drama career around, Lowe also gave it his best shot. He recalled to Bacon this week how it all went down.

“Obviously it’s a dance audition. Dance,” Lowe told Bacon.

“By the way, I think it was to a Styx song. And at the end of the dance there was a knee slide on the floor,” he added. “And I hit my knees and slid across the floor in a row [former Paramount Pictures CEO] Sherry Lansing, [screenwriter] Dean Pitchford, [producer] Craig Zadan.”

Kevin Bacon photographed for ‘Footloose’ in 1984.

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After mentioning that director Herbert Ross was also present at Lowe’s big slide, he added that unfortunately it didn’t go anywhere near as planned.

“And my knee blew up,” he told Bacon. “It explodes! Pop. And I’m carried out on a stretcher from the sound stage.”

“Craig Zadan and the producers, who were friends of mine and were very supportive of me doing this movie, came up to me and said, ‘Hey, man, this is great. At the end of the day, we really decided, we’re just going to hire a dancer for this the part,’ Lowe recalled being told after the failed audition, noting that ‘a week later they hired you.’

Lowe also recalled his mindset after learning Bacon had been cast over him: “‘Damn these guys! That’s a real actor!’ ”

“Well, it’s a great Hollywood story,” Bacon said.

Rob Lowe attends the Los Angeles premiere of Netflix’s “Unstable” in March 2023.

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Before Bacon hit Free and his earlier work, such as in 1978 National Lampoon’s Animal Househe lived in New York on an apartment budget of $150 a month.

During an appearance in November on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Bacon opened up about moving to NYC in 1976 after seeing an ad that piqued his interest.

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“I don’t know how I calculated it, but that’s what I decided,” Bacon said of his budget. “So I saw the ad on the back The voice of the village, and it said, ‘Artists, actors, musicians in residence.’ And I thought, ‘Well, that sounds good.’ ”

After sleeping on his sister’s couch for four months, Bacon said he sought out a “flophouse,” which had “some artists, but not a lot.”

“You really have to want your dream,” Clarkson later said. Bacon agreed, adding that “you must be hungry.”

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Source: HIS Education