Rob Lowe reveals he was meant to play Kevin Bacon’s role in Footloose

Rob Lowe narrowly missed out on starring in one Hollywood’s most iconic films of the 1980s, Footloose. 

The 56-year-old actor was lined up to play the lead role of Ren McCormack, but was ruled out after suffering a horrific injury during the dance audition. 

The gig eventually went to Kevin Bacon, whose career skyrocketed as a result of the movie’s success.  

‘I like to think, in some small way, Kevin Bacon owes me a lot because I auditioned for Footloose and made it all the way to the dance auditions,’ he said on The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Wednesday. 

Despite not being a dancer, Rob explained that he had practised the routine for two weeks before the audition.

‘I took it really seriously and I really wanted that part. I knew that movie was going to be huge,’ the father of two explained.  

He added: ‘There were 25 of us in the audition and the dance audition ended with a big running jump to your knees sliding across the floor – and I blew out my ACL.’

The ACL is a ligament located within the knee joint that is most commonly torn during activities that involve sudden movements or changes in direction.

‘I left the Footloose dance audition in an ambulance,’ Rob said.

Producers told him not to worry about the blunder hurting his chances, as they had already decided they were going to hire a dancer rather than an actor.

But Rob soon discovered this wasn’t the case after fellow thespian Kevin got the role.

‘Forty-eight hours later, high on morphine, I read that Kevin Bacon got the part,’ he grumbled. 

While Rob missed out on Footloose, he still managed to forge a successful career in Hollywood by staring in popular films such as The Outsiders (1983), St. Elmo’s Fire (1985) and About Last Night… (1986).