“I really tried for a lot of years”: Despite a $45 Million Career, Kevin Bacon Could Never Fulfil His Biggest Dream of Adapting an Iconic Japanese Horror Movie
Actor Kevin Bacon is one of the most talented and respected actors in the industry. The actor gained worldwide recognition for starring in 1984’s Footloose, following which he has appeared in various movies, including some from the horror genre. Bacon has been a part of movies including Hollow Man, The Demon Murder Case, You Should Have Left, Friday the 13th, and more.
His appearance in various horror movies made Bacon a horror staple, and he recently appeared in Ti West’s MaXXXine alongside Mia Goth. While the actor plays a private investigator in the movie, he shared during an interview how there is another movie which he wants to adopt.
Kevin Bacon admits to wanting to adapt the Japanese horror movie Audition into English
Actor Kevin Bacon stars as a private investigator named John Labat in Ti West’s MaXXXine, which is the third installment in the X film series. The movie stars Mia Goth in her titular role as Maxine Minx, along with Elizabeth Debicki, Moses Sumney, Lily Collins, and more.
MaXXXine is scheduled for release on July 5, 2024. The movie will follow Maxine going on to establish herself as an actress in Hollywood set in 1980s. A killer, known as the Night Stalker, will be shown targeting the young actress, threatening to reveal her past sins.
Ahead of the release, Bacon and Debicki spoke to Film Updates, where the actor revealed that the Japanese horror movie Audition by Takashi Miike is the one that he has been trying to adapt. Bacon said,
I really tried for a lot of years to do an American version of it. We never really got it together. It was difficult for a lot of reasons. I was close to making it, but we didn’t get it all the way. But that is a great movie.
The 1999 horror movie; Audition, starring Ryo Ishibashi and Eihi Shiina, is about a widower who stages a phony audition to meet a potential partner. After interviewing women over the phone, he finally meets one unaware of her past, which comes back to affect their relationship. The Audition is based on the 1997 novel by Ryu Murakami. Bacon, whose net worth hits around $45 million, has not been able to make his dream come true yet.
Kevin Bacon dishes about his character in MaXXXine
The actor is portraying a private investigator who is hired to look into the lead character’s past and her probable involvement in the murders. Bacon was asked if there was a specific process or someone he looked up to base his character on, and he said the following via Film Updates,
I will say that I don’t look at films in order to build characters. I love films. I’m a huge consumer of movies. I like to go to the theater to see movies. I grew up a fan of movies. But when it comes to building a character, looking at another actor’s performance has never been helpful to me.
Kevin Bacon added that he watched a documentary and went on YouTube to look up New Orleans policemen, which he noted seemed fun and inspiring. The actor shared that if performance is being considered and if there are any similarities, then it’s not because he’s trying to copy someone, but because someone may have filtered their way into his consciousness.
According to Far Out Magazine, the actor was knocked out by how MaXXXine is different from its predecessors, X & Pearl, adding that his team was able to get in touch with the director of the movie; Ti West. Bacon added that when the two of them met, he told the director that he loved his work. After this, the filmmaker told him that he was working on a movie that was part of a trilogy, and later sent the actor the script.
The actor also mentioned that he believes Ti West is one of the leading horror directors at the moment, who has helped rescue horror from its ‘loser status’. MaXXXine will be available in theaters on July 5, 2024.
