Valerie Bertinelli nearly landed the role of Kevin Bacon's love interest, Ariel, in the 1984 movie Footloose, but there was one problem. The 57-year-old actress appeared on Wednesday's Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen and revealed that she went out for the leading lady role in the beloved dance film.
After watching his earlier film Diner, the director persuaded the producers to go with Bacon. The film also stars Lori Singer as Reverend Moore's independent daughter Ariel, a role for which Madonna and Haviland Morris also auditioned. Valerie Bertinelli and Jennifer Jason Leigh were also considered.
Kevin Bacon Rejected 'Footloose' Fame Because It Wasn't a 'Serious Actor' Role and He Wanted to Work With Scorsese: 'The Last Thing I Wanted to Be Was a Pop Star'
Zac Efron was originally cast as Ren McCormack, but he pulled out in March 2009 because he did not want people to think that all he could do was sing and dance, and so he could star in "Charlie St.
Who originally turned down the role of Forrest Gump?
The classic role of Forrest Gump was initially offered to John Travolta. He declined the part and has since openly admitted that passing on the role was one of the biggest mistakes of his career.
Why Kevin Bacon Initially Didn’t Want to Take the Role in “Footloose”
Who turned down the role of Indiana Jones?
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Harrison Ford took the lead role in the franchise as the archeologist, but it could've been Tom Selleck. Karen Allen, who played Marion Ravenwood opposite Ford as Indiana Jones, revealed the Friends alum's TV career forced him to turn down the gig.
Back in 2019, Pfeiffer opened up about various films that she has turned down over the years — including Pretty Woman, Basic Instinct and Thelma and Louise — during an interview on the Today show.
In a 2013 interview with Howard Stern, Kevin Bacon admitted that he has actually tipped DJs at weddings not to play "Footloose". He stated that people expect him to dance to the song as he did in the movie. In truth, while he did do some of the dancing, there was also a dancing double for him.
What happened to the actress who played Ariel in Footloose?
Here's Lori Singer more than 30 years later. Her Bomont High days are long behind her, but Lori Singer is still stunning at 59! After a whirlwind decade, Singer stepped back from the spotlight for 20 years -- until she made her return in 2011 with a guest-starring role on Law & Order: SVU!
The High School Musical heartthrob decided not to take the role of Ren McCormack in the upcoming remake of the hit '80s musical – a part that launched the career of then-25-year-old Kevin Bacon – because he wants to challenge his acting chops.
In 2011, a remake of the movie Footloose was released, and Blake Shelton recorded a cover for the soundtrack. Shelton's cover reached the number 63 position on the Hot Country Songs chart that year, and the tune is accompanied by a totally meta music video (which you can watch here).
Lowe auditioned three times and had dancing ability and the "neutral teen" look that director Herbert Ross wanted, but he pulled his knee, and the injury prevented him from taking the part. After watching American Diner (1982), Ross had to convince the producers to go with Kevin Bacon.
Kevin Bacon's wealth comes from decades of work in the filmmaking business. He has starred in multiple commercially successful film projects such as Footloose and Apollo 13 among others. As a result, his net worth is considered to be approximately $45 million according to celebritynetworth.com.
But because the plot of Footloose revolves around dance, the lack of music in this case is especially glaring. Kevin Bacon did most of his own dancing, but some moves were too difficult for him. A double was brought in for the more serious gymnastics stunts—a fact the studio wanted to hide from the press.
Singer starred in the TV movie Born Beautiful (1983), for which was awarded Newcomer of the Year at ShoWest. One year later, she won the ShoWest Breakthrough Performer of the Year Award for her role as Ariel Moore, the female lead in Footloose (1984).
Why was Sarah Jessica Parker not in the dance scene of Footloose?
Bacon continued: “The studio tested the movie, and they were like, 'This doesn't work at all; everyone wants to get up and dance at the end of this movie. '” The actor revealed that it was almost a year before the cast got back together to reshoot the scene, which might explain the absence of Sarah Jessica Parker.
John Travolta reportedly also turned down the role of Ren McCormack. Christopher Atkins (The Blue Lagoon) says he was already cast in the role but scared off producers and director Herbert Ross when he showed up to the initial meeting high.
How much did Kevin Bacon make for Footloose? It has been reported that Kevin Bacon was paid as much as $1 million for Footloose. This amount may be surprising considering the fact that this was Bacon's first major headlining movie role and that this is a large number for 1984.
“When I did the dance movie, I was not a dancer. I wasn't trained as a dancer,” he said. “If I'm being honest, I didn't even really understand that it was a dance movie.
He also suggested Julia Roberts, Greta Scacchi, and Meg Ryan, but they all turned down the role. Debra Winger, Michelle Pfeiffer, Geena Davis, Kathleen Turner, Kelly Lynch, Ellen Barkin, and Mariel Hemingway all turned down the role as well when offered by Verhoeven and producers.
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However, Pfeiffer mentioned that she almost didn't appear in Batman Returns, replacing Annette Bening, as she had been attached to star in George Miller's Lorenzo's Oil. Eventually, Pfeiffer was replaced in Lorenzo's Oil by Susan Sarandon, who also "had been interested in playing Catwoman," (via Yahoo).
Is Michelle Pfeiffer's daughter her biological daughter?
Claudia Rose Pfeiffer is Michelle's daughter she adopted in 1993 as a newborn, and, eight months later, the little one was christened at Michelle and David's wedding. “The adoption process was already in motion when he and I met,” Pfeiffer told Good Housekeeping in 2007.
