Rob Lowe was one of the most prominent young actors of the ‘80s. The Ohio-raised celebrity was a member of the never-aging Brat Pack starring in St. Elmo’s Fire, The Outsiders and About Last Night, to name a few. Believe it or not, Lowe was also close to playing the character of Ren in the musical drama Footloose. Unfortunately, he said it was apparently an “awful” experience losing to Kevin Bacon.
It’s hard to believe how close we were to seeing Rob Lowe show off his dance moves playing the Chicago native shaking things up in a new town that prohibits dancing. The 9-1-1: Lone Star actor recalled to USA Today why it was so “awful” having to miss out on starring in one of the best dance movies:
The thing that's awful about it was, I was the guy. I was going to get this part. I just had to do the dance, which was to a Styx song, by the way. Not helpful. But it ended with that drop-to-your-knees slide across the floor. My knee just exploded. They took me out on a stretcher. As they were wheeling me out, the producers were like, ‘We're going have to get a real professional dancer.’ A week into my rehab, I read they cast Kevin Bacon. That's when I learned what Hollywood was about.
It’s a shame that injuring himself while auditioning for one of the best ‘80s flicks cost Rob Lowe the part. After all, we did see the talented actor do a little shimmy-ing in Oxford Blues; a short, but wild dance number in Parks and Recreation; and dance with Snow White in the controversial opening ceremony for the 61st Academy Awards. Then again, casting directors might have interpreted that the former Brat Pack member’s dance injury during the audition showed he wasn’t the right man for the job, especially considering the amount of dancing the young actor would have to go through scene after scene.
Interestingly enough, Rob Lowe admitted how twisted it was that not getting the part benefitted the actor who ultimately snagged it. Footloose became one of Kevin Bacon’s best films, and he went on to star in critically acclaimed films like Diner, JFK and A Few Good Men. In fact, when Lowe spoke to Bacon about losing the part of Ren to him, the Golden Globe winner responded with “You wouldn’t have gotten it, anyway.” I still would have been curious to see how the former teen idol would have fared dancing to Kenny Loggins and picking up his Sunday shoes.
The Primetime Emmy Award nominee may not have gotten to play the lead in Footloose, but he still went on toward a prolific acting career. Other than the Brat Pack films that turned him into a Hollywood star, Lowe had a successful TV career starring in The West Wing, Brothers & Sisters and currently 9-1-1: Lone Star. Lowe is also behind some works you can find on your Netflix subscription like the biopic drama he starred and executive produced as well as starring with his son in the Netflix comedy Unstable. Clearly the 59-year-old actor didn’t need Footloose to have the career he has now.
American actor and filmmaker Rob Lowe had an “awful” experience losing out the lead of Footloose to Kevin Bacon. But even without the 1984 film, the veteran actor still continued to wow audiences for over four decades without the use of dance shoes to do so. If you’re still up for seeing Bacon in Footloose, it’s available to watch with your Max subscription.
