Kevin Bacon returns to Footloose roots for a special cause
Kevin Bacon has taken a step back in time to return to the Utah high school where the 1984 movie Footloose was filmed.
Students at Payson High School launched the #BacontoPayson social media campaign several months ago in an attempt to get the Hollywood legend to attend the school's final prom.
The high schoolers recreated movie scenes and choreographed videos in the hopes of capturing Bacon's attention, willing him to return to the school before the campus relocates at the end of the school year.
The online campaign worked, as the 65-year-old actor returned to Payson on Saturday where he addressed the students and praised their valiant efforts to get him back to the iconic school, but not before striding onto the stage while the iconic song Footloose blared through the grounds.
"When I first heard about this Bacon to Payson thing, I was like, 'Wow, this is crazy.' But you were all just tireless," Bacon said in his speech on the school's football field on Saturday, according to ABC7. "You talked me into it."
As part of Payson High School's effort to get Bacon back on campus, they pledged to create 5000 essential resource kits to help his Sixdegrees.org foundation, which benefits underserved and under-resourced communities.
The organisation has a goal of packing and distributing up to 40,000 kits as part of its "Footloose40" initiative, which marks the 40th anniversary of the film's release.
In his speech on Saturday, Bacon thanked the students for "turning what could be just a movie star coming back to get a pat on the back into something really positive."
Bacon was awarded with an honorary Payson High School diploma, posed for photos with students and even swung by his locker during his visit during his visit.
Image credits: TikTok / Paramount Pictures