Kevin Bacon calls hearing 'Footloose' at weddings his 'worst nightmare', asks DJs not to play it

The 66-year-old actor, who shot to fame in the 1984 musical-drama film, revealed that wedding DJs often play the iconic song, leading to uncomfortable situations where guests expect him to perform.

Speaking to Variety at SXSW, Bacon said: "My worst nightmare is to be at a wedding and the DJ puts on the music. They always start out being about the bride, and then there’s alcohol involved. And by about 10:30, the song comes on, and suddenly the wedding becomes about me getting out and dancing. People will literally form a circle around me and clap their hands like I’m a trained monkey."

To avoid the awkward moments, Bacon now advises DJs not to play Kenny Loggins' 1984 hit 'Footloose' when he's in attendance. "It’s not because I don’t love the song, I do love this song. It’s not because I’m not proud of the movie, I’m 100 percent proud of it," he clarified.

Despite the film's lasting impact, Bacon has previously spoken about how it took years to gain respect as an actor in Hollywood. He credited his role in Oliver Stone’s 1991 drama ‘JFK’ as a turning point in his career.

"I was kind of spinning my wheels career-wise at that point, having been to the top of the mountain in Hollywood with ‘Footloose’. But I was kind of sliding back down the other side. And that gave me an opportunity to redefine my career in a way that was really much more true to who I am," he told NME.

Bacon added that while his dramatic turn in ‘JFK’ surprised some, it was a natural progression for him. "People said, ‘Wow, I never thought I’d see you do that!’ Of course, for me and for the people that actually knew me it was not a surprise, because I’d been doing a lot of theatre. And I’ve been doing, you know, crazy offbeat characters for a really long time. But to the general Hollywood industry, that was a new thing."