The only actor Kevin Bacon would aspire to be like: “The greatest American actor”
Kevin Bacon is an actor whose filmography often surprises with its breadth, featuring iconic roles in Mystic River, A Few Good Men, and Apollo 13. However, his career is also peppered with unexpected turns, such as playing a pedophile in The Woodsman, a serial killer in They/Them, and a white-water rafter in The River Wild. Throughout these diverse performances, Bacon has collaborated with some of the greatest actors of his generation, but he has singled out one as the only performer he truly aspires to emulate.
The River Wild, directed by Curtis Hanson in 1994, follows a couple on the rocks who decide to tackle their relationship problems on the rocks (sorry), going on a white-water rafting holiday with their young son until two mysterious men hijack it. Bacon stars alongside Meryl Streep and David Strathairn, playing a sinister villain who tests the couple in new ways through his sadistic games. Bacon also starred alongside John C Reilly, creating a deliciously surprising ensemble cast that holds up today as a uniquely terrifying thriller, all taking place in choppy water as people frantically try to save their lives.
Meryl Streep has been praised endlessly by her co-stars, with deeply vulnerable and masterful performances in the likes of Kramer VS Kramer, Bridges of Madison County and The Post, earning over 21 Academy Award nominations over the course of her glittering career. In recent years, she has found a new audience with the likes of Little Women and Don’t Look Up, appealing to a modern generation of film lovers by collaborating with directors like Greta Gerwig and Adam McKay.
Bacon has worked alongside many of the greats over the years, such as Jack Nicholson, Julienne Moore and Tom Hanks, but despite this, he explained why Meryl Streep remains as his ultimate source of inspiration, saying, “If I could name any actor that I would aspire to be like, it would be her. Because she is so transformational”.
Many people have been confounded by Streep’s chameleon-esque ability to adapt to any given character, creating lived-in characters that feel almost like her second skin. But as well as this, Bacon explained how the actor is a joy to work with on set, saying, “Of course, and not surprisingly, she’s the person that will put everybody at ease immediately and make you feel like all of our jobs are important”.
Bacon recently starred in Maxxxine alongside Mia Goth and Elizabeth Debecki, as well as in Leave the World Behind with Julia Roberts, showing an unnervingly natural ability to blend into dark and twisted stories, going against the kind and soft-natured aura of the actor.
Bacon is set to star with his wife, Kyra Sedgwick, in the upcoming film Connescence, which will be their first time acting together since 2004. The pair are also planning on directing a horror film together, with their daughter Sosie Bacon set as the star, showing that his love for the genre is perhaps a family affair, and maybe they all have the scaring gene.
