Welcome to a captivating collection of quotes by the renowned actor Kevin Bacon. With a career spanning decades, Kevin Bacon has left an indelible mark on the world of cinema with his versatile performances and memorable roles. From his breakout role in Footloose to his more recent work in acclaimed television series like The Following, Bacon has consistently delivered performances that resonate with audiences worldwide.
Beyond his acting prowess, Kevin Bacon is also celebrated for his insightful and thought-provoking words off-screen. Whether discussing the craft of acting, navigating the complexities of life, or offering words of wisdom on perseverance and success, Bacon’s quotes inspire, motivate, and provoke introspection. His unique perspective on the industry, coupled with his humility and dedication, has endeared him to fans and fellow actors alike. Explore the profound and illuminating insights of Kevin Bacon below, and discover the wisdom that has made him a beloved figure both on and off the screen.
Certainly, network television in general relies a little bit too much on keeping people focused and emotional and scared and pushing the envelope by building wall-to-wall music. Kevin Bacon
Gary Oldman is impossible to steal a movie from. He’s such a great actor, he’s off the hook. I love him. Kevin Bacon
Before Footloose, the things I’d done weren’t cute. In Diner I was an alcoholic. Kevin Bacon
When I go home, I try to raise my children with honesty and integrity and teach them to take care of the world and of each other. Kevin Bacon
I just let the work speak for itself. An actor is not afraid to take risks; to put on different hats; to be a good guy, a bad guy, a victim, an abuser. There are all kinds of people in the world, and playing them is what acting is all about. Kevin Bacon
My family survived losing money to Bernie Madoff incredibly well compared to others. Kevin Bacon
Ninety-five percent of celebrity is good. Kevin Bacon
If you take me out of it, I find ‘six degrees’ to be a beautiful concept that we should try to live by. It’s about compassion and responsibility for everyone on the planet. Kevin Bacon
For my wife and I, for so many years, a lot of our identity was based on being Hollywood haters. We were like, ‘We’re east-coast. We’re New Yorkers. This is just a place that we have to come to, but not by choice.’ Kevin Bacon
Whether it’s my age or my misspent youth, sometimes I forget whether I’ve worked with somebody or not. Kevin Bacon
I would say invisibility would be sort of a fun power to have just to see what it was like to move through the world and not be looked at. Kevin Bacon
I’d really like to get the girl, shoot the gun, drive the car, have fun. I even have these kind of action dreams, where I’m the action guy. Kevin Bacon
I think one of the most pervasive evils in this world is greed and acquiring money for money’s sake. Once you have six houses and a plane, it’s just about a number. It’s never been anything I understood. Kevin Bacon
If you look at my movie career, I do switch it up a lot. I’m always looking for a lot of different parts. It’s been a while since I’ve been in a situation that was romantic. Kevin Bacon
I want to see the numbers that prove that show-business marriages are any less successful than other marriages. It’s just very public when they fail. Kevin Bacon
Part of being a man is learning to take responsibility for your successes and for your failures. You can’t go blaming others or being jealous. Seeing somebody else’s success as your failure is a cancerous way to live. Kevin Bacon
I think of myself more as a workhorse actor. It will be hot and cold and up and down, but no one will kick me out of the business. Kevin Bacon
One of the top comments I get from people is, ‘Oh my God, you’re like a regular person!’ That’s kind of a bizarre thing to live with. I know a lot of famous people, and their lives may not be regular, but they are regular people. Kevin Bacon
I’m an actor. It’s what I do. It’s what I chose to do with my life when I was a little boy, and that’s what Im still doing. I like to work. I came up with a work ethic, and that’s just what I do. Kevin Bacon
I’m new to this TV thing, at least as an actor. It’s a challenge. The thing I have to adjust to is the changing directors every week. That’s new for me. I tend to establish with a director – and then two days later, he’s gone. Kevin Bacon
My dad was an architect, and he wasn’t a rich guy, but in our little world in Philadelphia, he was famous. He loved to see his picture in the paper. I wanted to be more famous than him. Kevin Bacon
Any idiot can get laid when they’re famous. That’s easy. It’s getting laid when you’re not famous that takes some talent. Kevin Bacon
We are being choked to death by the amount of plastic that we throw away. It’s killing our oceans. It’s entering into our bodies in the fish we eat. Kevin Bacon
People work so hard, and I want to keep that energy up, and you can spread that if you’re the actor. But I’m also not able to turn it on and off like a faucet. A lot of what I’m called upon to play is violent or angry. When I’m messing around with the crew and making jokes, I remember, ‘Oh, this is the guy I normally am.’ Kevin Bacon
If you’re an actor, even a successful one, you’re still waiting for the phone to ring. Kevin Bacon
I don’t watch the movies I make, so I haven’t seen ‘Footloose’ since it came out. You see this young, hungry actor, it’s pretty fun. I was the only one they screen tested. It was an attempt by the director and producer to talk the head of the studio into hiring me because they didn’t want me. Kevin Bacon
I like directing. It takes a lot out of you, but I’d like to do it again – I just have to find a story I want to tell. Kevin Bacon
Great writing makes great television. Kevin Bacon
I always have to make it as clear as I possibly can that fame is 99.9 percent good. Kevin Bacon
I was in the first ‘Friday The 13th,’ and that was a microbudget horror film. Kevin Bacon
‘Kung Fury!’ I mean, Jesus, that thing is amazing. Kevin Bacon
I don’t have to do the lead. If I dig a part, I’ll do it. Kevin Bacon
I’m always happier and a better actor when I can really lose myself in a character and become somebody else. Kevin Bacon
I wasn’t going off to New York to be more famous than my father, but in retrospect, that certainly was driving me. He was famous in Philadelphia, but it was also really important to him to be famous. And to a certain extent, I got some of that, even though there were parts of it that horrified me. Kevin Bacon
I really believe that all of us have a lot of darkness in our souls. Anger, rage, fear, sadness. I don’t think that’s only reserved for people who have horrible upbringings. I think it really exists and is part of the human condition. I think in the course of your life you figure out ways to deal with that. Kevin Bacon
I didn’t get into this so I could talk about my work, my movies. You become an actor to act. Kevin Bacon
I’ve played a lot of bad guys, and I’m pretty good at leaving my work at the office. And I look at acting as having a certain sort of therapeutic nature to it. Kevin Bacon
I’m a vagabond. I have a suitcase that is ready to go at a moment’s notice. The thought of being in one place for a long time, or playing one character for a long time, is terrifying for me. Kevin Bacon
My father was into fame and leaving his mark. He was a city planner, sort of a genius in that world, the Robert Moses of Philadelphia. He was on the cover of ‘Time’ once, and I remember going to his office and seeing, like, two hundred copies, which he would hand out to people. Kevin Bacon
There are very few things that are purely conceptual without any hard content. Kevin Bacon
I’d always tried not to worry about the size of the role or the size of the film. Kevin Bacon
I think we all have a lot of darkness in our bellies. As an actor, the challenge of tapping into that, reaching down into that sadness or anger, is very therapeutic. Kevin Bacon
I’ll be honest with you. My kids don’t watch my movies and never have. I can maybe name a film one hand that they’ve seen, actually, all the way through. Kevin Bacon
You can sit around and complain that Hollywood doesn’t make any good movies. But you can generate your own material. So I read books. I come up with ideas. I was the producer on ‘The Woodsman’ to help get that off the ground. Sometimes that extends itself to directing. Kevin Bacon
There are some actor secrets you keep sometimes, and you want to keep. Kevin Bacon
When it comes to music, it’s my clothes, it’s my guitar, it’s my voice, it’s my song. Kevin Bacon
I do struggle with how much and in which way, as an artist or celebrity, that you voice your political views. Kevin Bacon
I still want to make Kyra proud of the person I am – father, husband, actor, musician. Kevin Bacon
I started working in the mid-to-late Seventies, when television was not what it is now. Kevin Bacon
There’s this American dream to put enough away that you can golf and build a birdhouse or just be in a Barcalounger watching football all day. I’ll never be that guy. And I’m not really sure the people who have that are all that happy. Our desires as a man are to work, plow ahead, and overcome conflict. Kevin Bacon
I always have a suitcase ready to go. My wife and I are both very much like this. We’re both vagabonds, and we have been since the time we were married. Kevin Bacon
The greats are ‘The Shining’, ‘Rosemary’s Baby’, ‘Don’t Look Now’, ‘The Exorcist’ – those movies were not really slashers: they were about psychological terror and had very deep emotional backdrops. If we do our best, ‘6 Miranda Drive’ can be that kind of a movie. Kevin Bacon
A good director creates an environment, which gives the actor the encouragement to fly. Kevin Bacon
Some people have therapy, some people are alcoholics or they’re in AA. Some people jump out of planes on weekends or find ways to release this kind of thing. And for me, it’s acting. I find acting very therapeutic for whatever it is. Kevin Bacon
Somebody with a billion followers can tweet, ‘See my movie,’ and it can still tank. Followers don’t always translate into success because I think people are too savvy. When something takes off, it’s because people are connecting to it – not because someone with a lot of followers says to care about it. Kevin Bacon
I always wanted, and still aspire, to be something more than just one thing, just one performance. Kevin Bacon
I don’t have any plans of slowing down. I love being an actor. Kevin Bacon
Fame is something that is tough when it comes. It’s a weird thing to take on in real life. I was a little bit afraid and, as a result, kind of turned my back on it. You should embrace it because it’s going to be a part of who you are, and it’s going to be a part of what this business is about. Kevin Bacon
There is a lesson there about greed and it is a lesson I am willing to learn as well. Has it made me a distrustful person? I don’t think so. But we probably look a bit more carefully at our financial situation now. Kevin Bacon
Clint Eastwood has always been a hero. Kevin Bacon
There are two types of actors: those who say they don’t want to be famous, and those who are liars. Kevin Bacon
I don’t want to stop acting, but acting in some ways is a young man’s game. Kevin Bacon
I’m not someone who comes onstage and says, ‘I’m rewriting this now.’ I don’t think it’s fair to the writers or the director, or the other actors. Kevin Bacon
My brother is the lifelong musician; he made the choice to do that when we were very, very young kids. I remember him playing in bands and listening to the music he was writing in the house – he’s nine years older than me. Kevin Bacon
I have fond memories of Chris Penn, who’s sadly not with us. He always made me laugh – it was great to be with him. Kevin Bacon
There are people who tell you to shut up because you’re just a celebrity, but pundits, talking heads, they’re every bit the celebrity and a lot of them aren’t any more qualified than the average man on the street. Kevin Bacon
I don’t read my own reviews and I haven’t for probably 15 years. I read other people’s reviews, though. Kevin Bacon
My kids don’t watch my movies. What I want to do is go home and hug my kids, talk to them and engage with them. Kevin Bacon
As I was coming up on the stage, there was one source that could make or break you, the New York Times. Inevitably there would be one actor singled out for a better review, or worse, than somebody else. The effect of that was cancerous, divisive. Kevin Bacon
Critics can be your most important friend. I don’t read criticism of my stuff only because when it’s bad, it’s rough-and when it’s good, it’s not good enough. Kevin Bacon
I started making movies in 1977, and I didn’t even think about the idea that I would ever be on a television show. Once I finished the ‘Guiding Light,’ I was like, ‘I’m done with television!’ Kevin Bacon
I wanted to do something heroic if I was going to be on TV. And the first thing that appeals to me once I have decided I don’t want to be the bad guy is to find things that are not black and white. Kevin Bacon
There are two things that create opportunities. One is being involved with something that makes money, and the other is winning awards. And the reason that winning the awards creates the opportunities is because it gives the people who are selling the picture the opportunity to make more money. Kevin Bacon
I do better on the first three takes; I won’t be better at 20 takes. Kevin Bacon
If I’m in a situation where someone doesn’t recognize me and treats me like everyone else, I’m not used to it. Kevin Bacon
Keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t be afraid of fame. Kevin Bacon
‘Animal House’ was my first movie, so I didn’t have anything to compare it to. I was a sight gag more than anything else. So I can’t say it was one of those things where your life changes. When the movie came out, I had to ask for the night off at the bar. Kevin Bacon
I like playing complex, interesting characters. Sometimes I don’t think there’s much of a strong line between right and wrong for a character. Every character is somewhere on a moral spectrum. Kevin Bacon
With a lot of actors, you’ve got to chip through the surface to see who the real person is. Kevin Bacon
You have to have something in your life that’s more important than the work. People don’t really like to admit that. They say, ‘Oh, my work is my most important thing.’ Kevin Bacon
From an acting standpoint, when I was a kid, I thought I knew everything there was to know. As the years go by, this craft becomes more intensive as I get older. You realize how much more there is to know and to learn, and how much better you can get, if you really work at it. Kevin Bacon
Fame is very much a double-edged sword. Kevin Bacon
I try to show compassion to people I come into contact with and try to put good out, as much good as I can. But that’s my life; that’s not my work. With my work, my job is to walk in another man’s shoes. Kevin Bacon
I’ve made three studio albums and one live one with my brother. It’s melodic singer-songwriter acoustic-rock music. Kevin Bacon
It does get old to have to always be a monkey in a zoo. I don’t know what it’s like any more to be anonymous. Kevin Bacon
Here’s the thing – I mean, I don’t act for statues. I really don’t. The great thing about winning an award is that it creates opportunities. Kevin Bacon
I have a natural swagger. Kevin Bacon
I’d love to be a pop idol. Of course, my groupies are now between 40 and 50. Kevin Bacon
I like to hike and cook. I enjoy furniture and design – not making it, just looking at it. I’m always kind of trying to spread my interests around and try new things. Kevin Bacon
L.A. kind of scares me. Kevin Bacon
Do you want to be the guy with a game named after you or be the one with 18 Oscar nominations? Kevin Bacon
The business that people do in LA on the social level is amazing. You go to a restaurant, bump into this guy or that guy. The next day you get a call, and they want you in their movie. Kevin Bacon
‘The River Wild’ was great, with Meryl Streep. That guy was really a bad dude who was ultimately sort of fundamentally impotent in a weird way. That was kind of interesting. Kevin Bacon
I feel like my responsibility as an actor is to make characters as compelling and believable as possible. Kevin Bacon
‘X-Men: First Class’ was fun. Kevin Bacon
Being with Kyra is so natural for me; it’s the easiest aspect of my life. I know that I don’t need a beach or room service to be happy. Kevin Bacon
I did a year of ‘Guiding Light’, and I was going to be a movie actor or a stage actor, but not a TV actor. That just wasn’t going to happen. And obviously, things changed so remarkably. Kevin Bacon
There’s the most resistance to an actor singing. It’s like I’m being disloyal to my industry. Kevin Bacon
When it happened to us and it was all gone overnight, we said, ‘We are in this together, we are healthy, our children are healthy and we can work’. Kevin Bacon
I’ve been in silly movies and romantic movies and historic movies. Kevin Bacon
