There are so many iconic moments that came from the wacky decade known as the 1980s. Filled with bright colors, big hair, and awesome tunes, the whole era still stands as one of pop culture's most unique moments in history. I'm pretty bummed I was only 3-years-old when the '90s finally rolled around, but thankfully there's plenty of rad films, TV shows, and more to dive into whenever I feel nostalgic.
One of my favorite touchstones of the era has always been 1984's Footloose. The film launched Kevin Bacon's career into undeniable success, but he almost didn't get the part. Studio bosses weren't convinced he was right for the role until this screen test convinced them to take a chance on the unknown actor. Thanks to encouragement from the film's producers, Bacon was given the opportunity to show off his fancy footwork as rebellious Ren. Although, as he freely admits himself, it was definitely a good thing that they decided to bring in some choreographers to help him find the right steps once filming really began.
It's amazing to see how much of the movie's aesthetic was already influenced by Bacon's take on the role, right down to the Volkswagen Beetle! Channeling his inner James Dean, and with the help of Sixteen Candles actress Haviland Morris, the man whom we've all counted our degrees of separation from at one point or another knew exactly how to win over his critics. Check out all of his smoldering, moody work in the clip below.
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