Rob Lowe Shares His Footloose Audition Experience with Kevin Bacon

Rob Lowe recently shared his experience of auditioning for the role ultimately played by Kevin Bacon in the iconic film Footloose.

On the Six Degrees With Kevin Bacon podcast, Lowe, now 59, recounted his tryout for the hit 1984 movie. “It’s a dance audition. Dance,” he said, highlighting the unexpected nature of the audition.

Lowe, known for his role in The Outsiders, shared with Bacon, “I think it was to a Styx song of all things. And the end of the dance was a knee slide across the floor.” He vividly described how he slid into a lineup that included Sherry Lansing, former CEO of Paramount Pictures, screenwriter Dean Pitchford, and producer Craig Zadan, only to have his knee disastrously pop, leading to him being taken out on a stretcher.

The actor, who also stars in Unstable, revealed that Zadan and other producers, who were supportive of him, initially reassured him, saying they were considering hiring a dancer for the part. However, Lowe learned a week later that Bacon had landed the role instead.

“The West Wing” actor humorously recalled his reaction, saying, “Goddamn these guys! That’s a real actor!”

To which Bacon responded, acknowledging the uniqueness of the story, “Well, that is a great Hollywood story.