Cut loose with some trivia. Welcome to MsMojo, and today, in celebration of “Footloose”’s 40th anniversary, we’re cutting loose with the most surprising, behind-the-scenes stories.
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00:00 "I thought I was alone."
00:02 "Not in this town. There's eyes everywhere."
00:07 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today, in celebration of Footloose's 40th anniversary,
00:12 we're cutting loose with the most surprising, behind-the-scenes stories about the flick
00:16 that will make you want to kick off your Sunday shoes.
00:19 "Hey, hey, what's this I see? I thought this was a party! Let's dance!"
00:27 Number 10. The story is based on real events.
00:30 "You won't get any of that here." "What's that?"
00:32 "Dancing. There's no dancing, right?" "That's right."
00:35 "Why?" "It's illegal."
00:37 "Jump back."
00:39 The idea of a real place banning something as joyous as dancing might seem preposterous,
00:44 but it's true. Shortly after its establishment in 1898, Elmore City, Oklahoma outlawed the activity,
00:51 apparently on religious grounds and to deter more, mm, rambunctious behaviors.
00:57 "The beat of music, the curves of the body, the display of the outward person,
01:04 we don't believe is congruent with the principles of Bible doctrine, especially."
01:09 Fast forward to 1980, local high schoolers decided they wanted to get Footloose
01:13 and lobbied the school board to lift the ban. Following an internal showdown,
01:18 they narrowly tipped the scales in their favor, reportedly with the board's president
01:22 ultimately declaring "let 'em dance." The students then planned for their stairway-to-heaven-themed prom,
01:28 marking an end to the prohibition and offering a blueprint for this iconic movie.
01:33 "You think this is gonna destroy the moral life of the community?"
01:37 "Nah, I think I'm livin' it up."
01:39 Number 9. Kevin Bacon did his homework. Undercover.
01:43 If you had to enroll in high school today, do you think you'd convincingly fit in?
01:47 Bacon, who was in his early 20s when he played the teenage Ren McCormick, wasn't too sure,
01:52 so he spent a day pretending to be an exchange student in a real Utah high school.
01:57 "I basically got them to create my character's life in the Provo High or whatever it was."
02:05 Mainly the principal knew the truth, while Bacon told others he was from Philadelphia,
02:10 which technically isn't alive.
02:12 "And it was exactly like the movie, because some kids gave me a hard time,
02:21 made fun of me, made fun of my hair, made fun of my clothing. I was dressed and looked like the character."
02:28 Anyway, it sounds like his experience set him up nicely for understanding what it means to be a misfit high schooler.
02:38 Some kids were apparently mean, but he did kind of find his Willard, so at least that's nice.
02:44 "At the end of the day, the crew showed up for a scout, because that's where we ended up shooting.
02:52 It was the same high school we shot in. I was like, 'Oh, thank God you're here. Get me out of this place.'"
02:58 Number 8. Locals didn't have much love for the cast.
03:01 "Every, every day, our lord is testing us. If he wasn't testing us, how would you account for the sorry state of our society?"
03:12 How would you feel if a major film crew set up in your town? Curious? Intrigued? Excited?
03:18 Would you drop by to check it out? Perhaps you'd try to meet some of its stars or wrangle your way on camera?
03:24 Or would you turn up your nose to these unruly Hollywood types, according to cast members,
03:29 for the Footloose production team who shot in Utah, it was the latter.
03:33 "We flung off our clothes and leaped into the swimming pool one night."
03:36 "Oh, that's not, I don't think that's supposed to happen at the Provo Motorcoat."
03:39 "And we got a very stern dressing down from our producer the next morning."
03:43 Supposedly, some of the more conservative residents were not overjoyed by the presence of this fun-loving group,
03:50 or happy about some of their more, let's say, raucous recreational activities.
03:54 Hmm, locals disapproving of people cutting loose. Where have we heard that before?
03:59 "Uh, very Footloose-ian."
04:00 "Very Footloose-ian."
04:01 "Footloose-ian."
04:02 "Yeah, Footloose-ian, you're right."
04:03 "I apologize."
04:04 Number 7. Sarah Jessica Parker almost didn't play Rusty
04:09 "I couldn't help but wonder, can you make a mistake and miss your fate?"
04:14 Long before she stepped into Carrie Bradshaw's iconic Manolo Blahniks,
04:18 SJP played Ariel's fast-talking friend Rusty in the 1984 dance flick.
04:24 She scored a Best Young Supporting Actress nomination,
04:27 but did you know the role was written with her Square Pegs co-star Tracy Nelson in mind?
04:31 Yet, according to screenwriter Dean Pitchford,
04:34 once the cameras rolled, something didn't quite click.
04:37 Enter Parker.
04:38 "Hello."
04:39 "Tell me."
04:42 "Okay."
04:43 Initially, she turned down the role because production essentially envisioned
04:46 Rusty's hair matching the character's name.
04:49 Having previously sported a similar style while playing Annie on Broadway,
04:53 it wasn't a look she was too eager to revisit.
04:56 The team was clearly keen to have Parker on board, though.
04:59 The makeover idea was scrapped, and the rest, as they say, is history.
05:04 "Hey, that tie is fabulous. I mean, it's fabulous.
05:07 Don't let anyone tell you any different."
05:09 Number 6. Chris Penn had as much dance experience as his character.
05:14 "You don't know his left foot from his right foot."
05:16 "I'll tell you something, man.
05:18 If I gotta get up in front of that council, then you are gonna learn how to dance."
05:22 In one of the film's standout scenes,
05:24 Wren gives Willard a dance crash course set to Denise Williams' bop "Let's Hear It For The Boy."
05:30 He goes from barely snapping on the beat to fully grooving.
05:34 "Every time he pulls me down, I just wanna cheer him up.
05:38 Let's hear it for the boy.
05:40 Ah, let's hear it for the boy, yeah."
05:45 Actor Chris Penn had many of us fooled that he was just a really good actor rather than a genuinely bad dancer.
05:52 But here's the thing.
05:53 He really didn't have any dance background.
05:56 In fact, choreographer Lynn Taylor Corbett shared that the actor was actually very reluctant to, quote,
06:02 "kick off his Sunday shoes" at first.
06:04 However, she was able to tap into his wrestling experience to help him find his groove.
06:08 Turns out he's a natural.
06:10 Let's hear it for the boy.
06:12 "Let's hear it for the boy, yeah."
06:15 Number 5. John Lithgow's sly research methods.
06:19 "Yes?"
06:20 "I used to get such a kick out of watching you work up your sermons."
06:24 "And now?"
06:28 "It's different."
06:30 John Lithgow played Reverend Moore, the town's stern minister who steadfastly enforces
06:35 the dance ban he worked to impose as a reaction to the loss of his son.
06:40 Not being a man of faith himself, Lithgow sought a minister's advice to better understand his character.
06:46 He found one in the Yellow Pages, ironically breaking the 9th Commandment as he reached out,
06:51 pretending to be lonely and asking for comfort in conversations about faith.
06:56 "And I went and got some spiritual counseling from a very, very kind and empathetic and smart man
07:05 who talked to me about his deep relationship with Jesus."
07:10 Although Lithgow says he felt bad for misleading the minister, he found the experience invaluable
07:15 in helping him shape his character.
07:17 All we want to know is whether the minister ever discovered the truth, and if so, how did he react?
07:22 "Let go and hope that you've understood at least some of my lessons."
07:30 Number 4. Michael Cimino was ousted as director for making excessive demands.
07:36 As a director, you might be helming the project, but that doesn't mean that your every wish is at the studio's command.
07:42 Paramount cycled through various director options, including Michael Cimino,
07:47 whose problematic reputation preceded him.
07:50 "Michael always said, 'You always tell the studio what they want to hear,
07:54 and then you just do what you're going to do.'"
07:56 He was offered the gig with strings attached, a hefty fine if he blew the budget,
08:01 and a bonus for pinching pennies.
08:03 Apparently, that wasn't enough to keep him on track.
08:06 He wanted to throw $200,000 to $250,000 at a complete script overhaul.
08:12 "We didn't agree that you could take this much time to achieve perfection.
08:19 And if you continue to take this much time to achieve perfection,
08:22 you're going to break our bank, and there's not going to be any company to release the picture."
08:27 Naturally, the bigwigs were not thrilled about burning cash so needlessly,
08:32 especially with the risks of delays.
08:34 Cimino was booted after about a month, and Herbert Ross, the OG choice for director,
08:39 jumped on board to steer the ship.
08:41 "I really think of film as an extension of fusion, like the opera, of all of the arts of drama, dance, music."
08:51 Number three, Christopher Atkins almost played Ren.
08:54 "The producer of the movie wanted me, and the director of the movie wanted me,
08:58 but the head of the studio at the time literally said to them, 'I don't want that kid. He's not f***able.'"
09:05 Okay, take a minute to envision how this film might have looked with Rob Lowe in the principal role, or Tom Cruise.
09:11 We know he's got the moves, so why not?
09:13 Interestingly, 80s teen idol Christopher Atkins, perhaps best recognized from the 1980 flick The Blue Lagoon,
09:20 has said that he was also in the running before Bacon booked the gig.
09:24 "Yes, that is true. That is true."
09:26 "Oh my goodness. Can you dance?"
09:28 "No. I can't sing either."
09:31 "Is that part of the reason you decided not to take it?"
09:33 "No. I just messed that audition up."
09:38 Unfortunately, when he met with the film's creative team, his partying got the best of him,
09:42 and he wasn't able to give his all at the audition.
09:45 Reportedly, he was so shaken by the experience that he ended up under medical care.
09:50 Atkins has since spoken candidly about his recovery journey.
09:54 "When I had my son, I stopped everything and I said, 'No, I'm not drinking. I'm not doing anything forever.
10:01 I want to be a dad. I always wanted to be a dad more than anything.'
10:04 So I did. I haven't, you know, I can honestly say I haven't touched anything in almost 30 years."
10:10 Number 2. The final dance scene got a late makeover.
10:14 For a movie about a group of teens fighting for their right to dance,
10:17 ending with a dance party seems like the obvious conclusion, and test audiences agreed.
10:22 However, surprisingly, the original idea was a bit more low-key.
10:26 "Reverend, you've done a good thing here."
10:29 "Well, I'm still not sure it was the right thing."
10:31 After Ren's iconic "Let's Dance" line, the plan was to end with a slow-mo shot of everyone partying.
10:37 Yet, during test screenings, they realized it didn't quite set the right vibe.
10:42 "See, this is our time to dance. It is our way of celebrating life."
10:50 So sometime after filming wrapped, they called the gang back, crafted choreography,
10:55 hired dancers, and filmed a new ending packed with the latest trends.
10:59 This revamped version delivered a more fitting, feel-good, high-energy finale
11:04 that very likely had audiences grooving in the aisles.
11:07 "Everybody cut, everybody cut. Everybody cut for Lose."
11:13 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:17 Bacon pays DJs to not play the title song.
11:20 It's a jam, but we can understand not wanting to feel like a trained monkey whenever it comes on.
11:25 "It's embarrassing."
11:26 "But they all want to see it, and of course it puts you in a terrible position."
11:29 "It's like, dong-de-dong-de-dong-de-dong-de-dong-de-dong. Everyone goes, 'Uh-huh.'"
11:33 [Laughter]
11:38 "It's awful."
11:39 There's a good reason for Bacon's super tight jeans.
11:42 It was reportedly to accentuate the choreography.
11:45 [Music]
11:52 Footloose isn't the only number one on the soundtrack.
11:55 Let's hear it for "Let's Hear It for the Boy."
11:58 [Music]
12:06 Bacon needed help calming his nerves before a major speech.
12:10 The director had just the thing to help him through it.
12:13 "Here, I'm going to give you half a value. So he gave me drugs, and I calmed down and played the scene, and the hives went away."
12:25 Madonna auditioned to play Ariel. Seems like she didn't get into the groove they wanted.
12:31 [Music]
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12:54 Number one, Kevin Bacon didn't realize the role required dance shoes.
13:00 "When I did the dance movie, I was not a dancer. I wasn't trained as a dancer."
13:05 "It was nothing that had anything to do with, um, I mean, I didn't even really, if I'm being honest, I didn't even really understand that it was a dance movie."
13:17 Pretend it's the 80s and someone hands you a script called "Footloose."
13:21 What do you think it's about? Podiatry? Pedicurists? Prosthetic legs?
13:25 Okay, we're exaggerating, but it is kind of funny that the film's star didn't realize he was chasséing into a dance movie with that title, don't you think?
13:33 On Penn Badgley's podcast, Pod Crushed, Bacon confessed that he thought he might need to do a little boogieing here and there, but nothing that required a choreographer.
13:43 "I'll just get up and dance. That's not a big deal. Just play the record for me and I'll jump around."
13:48 Apparently, he also didn't love having multiple stunt doubles for the warehouse scene, once likening it to the feeling of being benched.
13:55 But hey, despite no dance training and no clue about signing up for a dance movie, he turned out to be quite the twinkle toes.
14:02 "I'm trying to tell you, get away, you don't even try."
14:11 We know you want to go cut Footloose, but before you do, tell us your favorite thing about this movie in the comments.
14:19 "This is great. How did you know where to find all this?"
14:26 "Are you kidding?"
14:28 Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from MsMojo and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
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