Kevin Bacon wore a disguise to spend the day like a normal person and discovered it ‘sucked’
The “Footloose” and “Friday the 13th” actor – who’s been in the business for well over 40 years and has two movies out this week, “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” and “MaXXXine” – spoke to Vanity Fair for an interview published on Friday in which he discussed his longtime status as a highly recognizable star, and how he recently tried to see how the other half lived.
“I went to a special effects makeup artist, had consultations, and asked him to make me a prosthetic disguise,” Bacon told the outlet.
Once outfitted and incognito, he went to The Grove – one of the most visited and populous commercial centers in Los Angeles – and was thrilled to discover that “nobody recognized” him.
He was thrilled at first, to be clear, but that soon faded.
“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—king coffee or whatever,” Bacon observed coyly. “I was like, This sucks. I want to go back to being famous.”
Bacon, who is known for his ability to portray a wide range of characters from extremely likable (see “Tremors” or “Apollo 13”) to extremely sinister (check out “Sleepers” or “The River Wild”), again plays villainous in his two new films.
He told Vanity Fair that as an actor, he’s never hesitated to play the darker roles, since to him, “this is what an actor is. I’m never worried about how people feel about me. Work is about becoming other people and becoming part of some story.”
“I don’t need you to go to a movie and love me,” Bacon added. “If you go to a movie like ‘MaXXXine’ or ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,’ and I die and you stand up and cheer, I’m like, ‘Great. That was my gig. That’s what I wanted out of it.’”
“MaXXXine” is in theaters on Friday. “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” is streaming now on Netflix.
In the interview, Bacon mentioned his enjoyment of being incognito in public, but soon realized he missed the recognition and kindness that comes with his fame. Despite his villainous roles in "MaXXXine" and "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F", Bacon mentioned that he enjoys portraying various characters and becoming part of a story, not needing audience affection to fulfill his acting goals.
