‘Footloose’ Star Kevin Bacon Will Revisit The School Featured In The Film

Bruce Haring
·2 min read

Kevin Bacon is going back to the school where Footloose was filmed.

The iconic movie, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of its release this year, was filmed in Payson, Utah. For those few unfamiliar with it, Bacon plays Ren McCormack, a teenager from Chicago who moves to a small town. There he attempts to overturn a ban on dancing imposed by a local minister (John Lithgow).

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Payson’s students have been lobbying Bacon to attend this year’s prom, which will be the last there as the school will be relocating at the end of the academic year.

The effort has paid off, and Bacon will visit during the day of the prom, although he won’t be cutting the rug that night at the actual event.

Bacon announced his plans by calling in from Atlanta while students filled the school gym. The gym erupted in cheers.

“I have been so impressed with everything that’s been going on there with this crazy idea to get me to come back,” he said, reminiscing on how the movie and the school had been important to his life.

Bacon also gave his thanks for the student support of his SixDegrees.org charity, not to mention the efforts to get him to appear.

“I’ve been amazed at the work that all of you have been putting into this, with the musical and the flash mobs and the re-creations,” he said.

“It hasn’t gone unnoticed by me, not to mention the fact that you tied in SixDegrees.org, our foundation, and are trying to figure out ways to give back to your community. It’s really inspirational, so thank you. Thank you. And I’m gonna come. I gotta come,” he said.

“Let’s dance! We’re gonna do it! This is awesome!” student Rubie Raff told him after he made the announcement.

“We’re gonna party really hard, Kevin,” Kaleb Dymock added.

“Thank you guys. Let’s dance,” Bacon said.

In a segment that aired right before Bacon’s announcement, the school’s student council advisor Jenny Staheli said she’s proud of all the work the students have put in.

“To watch them just take ownership of that and run with it has been … it succeeded beyond my wildest dreams, honestly,” she said.

Bacon, who celebrated the end of last year’s actors strike by re-creating a famous dance scene from “Footloose,” has embraced the enduring popularity of the film.

“I think that it was a great gift to be part of that movie,” he told TODAY’s Willie Geist in 2022. “I certainly took it very seriously when I was doing it and I love that people will still come up and say that they just showed it to their kids.”

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