The only Kevin Bacon movie Kevin Bacon has seen twice: “I don’t look back at all”
It’s not out of the ordinary for an actor to admit they’ve got no interest in rewatching any of their movies once they’ve either finished shooting them or attended the premiere, and Kevin Bacon would be firmly among that number if it wasn’t for the solitary exception to his self-imposed rule.
It wouldn’t stretch the bounds of credulity to suggest that he’s had one of modern Hollywood’s most interesting careers, with Bacon initially making his bacon as the breakout star of Footloose, before his aversion to the idea of becoming a brand unto himself saw him almost torpedo his entire livelihood.
With his prospects circling the drain, Oliver Stone’s JFK was the turning point that led to his reinvention and evolution, even if his first table read was one of the most embarrassing moments of his professional life. From then on, Bacon settled into his groove as a versatile character man and occasional lead with a penchant for playing dark, depraved, and altogether twisted weirdos.
Arguably one of the best in the business without an Academy Award nomination to their name, if there’s a part that needs filling, he can do it. Drama, comedy, sci-fi, horror, fantasy, comic book adaptations, heroes, villains, romantic leads, treacherous snakes, and many more are firmly within his wheelhouse, and that aversion to repeating himself might explain why he’s got no interest in returning to the well.
Bacon has appeared in upwards of 70 films since making his feature debut in 1978’s Animal House, and throughout that entire time, there’s only one picture he’s watched twice. By default, that would surely make it the one he holds closest to his heart, which is almost certainly true, since Tremors is the only time he’s ever reprised a role, even if nobody got the chance to see his return as Val McKee in full.
“It was one film of mine that I wanted to revisit that character,” he lamented to Esquire. “I don’t look back at all. In fact, Tremors is the only movie of mine that I have rewatched since it came out.” He only made it because his career was going nowhere, and it turned out to be the film he cherishes more than any other.
It’s odd that Tremors would spawn a slew of straight-to-video sequels that didn’t involve Bacon, but when he finally agreed to end his sequel duck and play the same character again for the first time ever, there wasn’t a single network who were interested in ordering the unaired pilot to series, even with a big-name actor in the main role.
Ron Underwood’s creature feature isn’t the best movie Bacon has ever been in, and neither is it close to being the most successful, but he fucking loves it. All he wanted to do was return to the well and fend off some more giant worms, and yet, no television executives indulged him. He might get his wish eventually, but until then, his best option to bask in the warm fuzzy glow of Tremors is to do something even more unprecedented and watch it for a third time.
